Swampscott board details new trash proposal

SWAMPSCOTT – Armed with new figures from the town’s waste-removal contractor and facing a new board of selectmen, the Board of Health decided to present selectmen with a waste-reduction proposal very similar to the proposal that selectmen rejected in the fall.”Now we have solid numbers from Hiltz (Waste Removal, Inc.), new selectmen ? we feel that after people have had a chance to think about it, read about it, learn about what other towns are doing, we should have a new discussion,” said Board of Health Member Dr. Lawrence Block Thursday.The waste reduction proposal would force residents to buy special bags to dispose of any trash that exceeds what can fit in a 36-gallon barrel.The Board of Health believes this will encourage residents to reduce waste, but is less costly than a full “pay-as-you-throw” system, where residents have to purchase bags to dispose all of their trash.The waste-reduction proposal was based on a plan adopted by the town of Ipswich, which has similar demographics to Swampscott, according to Massachusetts DEP’s Regional Solid Waste and Recycling Coordinator Sharon Byrne Kishida. Kishida told the board of health at their Tuesday evening meeting that the plan had reduced the town of Ipswich’s waste per household by 38 percent over five years.Swampscott this year will pay Hiltz $955,000 to collect and dispose of trash each week and collect and transport recyclables every other week, according to Health Director Jeff Vaughan. The cost now is a flat fee unless the town dumps more than 5,600 tons of trash.The Board of Health would like a new contract, however, where this fee is based on the volume of trash, providing a financial incentive for the town to reduce its solid waste. Under the so-called “divided” contract proposal, the town would pay a flat fee for picking up the trash and then another fee based on how much trash is dumped.The Board of Health first approached selectmen – who must approve a new contract – two years ago with a proposal to institute a full “pay-as-you-throw” plan to promote waste reduction, explained Block.But selectmen rejected the idea because such a plan requires residents to buy special bags to dispose of their waste, Block said.The Board of Health proposed a new plan in 2010 where residents will be charged for using the special trash bags, but only if they dump more trash than will fit in a trash container that holds up to 36 gallons of trash. Selectmen also rejected that plan.But at their Tuesday evening meeting, Kishida of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection presented the Board of Health with three potential options for waste-collection services based on the “divided” fee that she and representatives from Hiltz had proposed for a new contract.According to these scenarios and figures provided by Hiltz representatives, the waste-reduction plan as proposed by the Board of Health last fall would reduce the town’s waste by 30 percent and save the town up to $200,000.”We feel the 30-percent reduction will be a piece of cake for the town,” Block said. “We had zero incentive to reduce waste in Swampscott.”Selectman Matthew Strauss said Thursday that he remained opposed to adding a new fee for services that are currently provided through taxes.”Would I be open to listening again? Absolutely, I’m always open to listening,” Strauss said.