SAUGUS — The town entered Special Town Meeting on Monday night, deciding to suspend Town Meeting to complete two of the Special Meetings first. One focused on a new bylaw: Solid Waste, Trash, and Recycling Modernization Bylaw.
This bylaw would “modernize and streamline the Town’s approach to the management and collection of solid waste, trash, and recycling and to advance goals of environmental sustainability, operational efficiency, and public health,” according to Article 1 of the Special Town Meeting.
“We looked into automation a few years ago, but we had such a favorable contract that it didn’t really make sense financially,” Town Manager Scott Crabtree said.
Things have changed now, as most towns and cities have made the switch to automated trash pickup. Crabtree said this bylaw gives the town the chance to look into the future with other options, as other companies stop providing manual pickup.
“Just to give you the cost… (The) current cost this year because of the favorable contract that we have that expires, we’re paying about $1.58 million… to go to automation… It’s $3 million plus without toters. So, it’s double. And that’s automation, which is the cheaper way to go,” Crabtree said.
He explained that staying with manual would be more than $4 million, and there would only be one company as an option, as other companies won’t do manual pickup due to liabilities.
“I think this would be something favorable. This would help… This is all positive and there is no cost directly to anybody,” he said.
Another positive that was highlighted was that this would help stop the trash blowing around the town, which has been a problem for years.
“Having a toter and a system you’d be able to have a cover over it,” he said.
He also said that it would help promote recycling, as Saugus is one of the only communities in the area that doesn’t have a mandatory recycling bylaw.
“I think this will improve the town. It’s change. It’s different,” he said. “I think a lot of the details I don’t have them because we’re still exploring that.”
Crabtree said they would be looking at what other communities are doing and trying to model it after what’s currently being done. He also highlighted that there would still be no trash fee for the community.
It was a unanimous yes from the Town Meeting Members.
The bylaw includes the implementation of automated or semi-automated collection systems; the use of standardized carts/toters; limits on the quantity or weight of trash placed curbside per household; modifications to collection frequency and material sorting requirements.
