SWAMPSCOTT — As the town prepares to launch a new automated trash and recycling collection system next month, residents and members of the town’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) spent Monday evening discussing recycling capacity, bin replacement, and how the town plans to educate residents before the changes take effect.
Town Administrator Nick Connors joined the SWAC meeting to outline details of the new contract with Republic Services, which is expected to begin taking effect in July. The contract, valued at around $2 million, will replace the town’s current manual collection system with automated trucks, equipped with mechanical arms operated by drivers.
Connors said that the timeline of the shift is being driven largely by rising costs around the town’s traditional collection method.
“If we were to even delay the transition from manual to automatic … there were significant costs,” Connors said. “For a full year, it was going to be approximately $475,000 to $480,000 more.”
Under the new system, residents will continue using their existing 35-gallon town-issued trash carts. Residents will receive new uniform 96-gallon recycling carts, which Connors said was roughly the equivalent of 5-and-a-half standard-sized recycling bins.
Connors said one of the primary goals during contract negotiations was to maintain existing trash and recycling service levels despite rising costs.
Resident Regan Walker spoke during public comment, and asked questions about how the new system would handle households that regularly produce more trash and recycling than fits in a standard cart.
Walker said he had informally surveyed his neighborhood, and found that many residents routinely put out multiple overflow bags.
“Every single road is anywhere from 18 to 32 bags,” Walker said. “Not every single house has blue bags, but several houses have more than two.”
Under the new contract, blue bags will still be permitted on top of waste carts. Connors did acknowledge that automated pickup will restrict the area to the lid of those carts, which might limit the number of blue bags residents are able to use.
SWAC Chair Emily Westhoven noted that the new system may not fully preserve current recycling flexibility, since residents are currently able to put out as much recycling as they generate.
“Right now, everybody can put out as much recycling as they’d like,” Westhoven said. “If we only have one barrel right now that’s being provided, then that level of service is not there because they’re not allowed to put that in any other container.”
Connors acknowledged the concern and said residents would have the option to obtain additional recycling carts, though he said the town is still evaluating what that policy might look like. Some communities provide a second cart free of charge, while others require residents to pay a fee.
Connors acknowledged that residents and town officials alike will face an adjustment period as the new system is implemented.
“Generally speaking, there’s going to be a learning curve, obviously,” he said. “We’re going to have to be in regular communication with the folks at Republic.”
He said the town expects to work directly with residents if recurring issues arise.
“If it’s habitual, if it’s regular, then we are reaching out to the residents,” Connors said.
Connors emphasized that the new contract maintains the town’s current collection schedule, with weekly trash pickup, weekly recycling pickup, and the same seven weeks of yard waste collection each year. However, he also said that the Select Board could consider moving recycling collection to a biweekly schedule in the future. Connors said the town negotiated pricing for that option as part of the contract and estimated it could save about $150,000 annually.
He stressed that no decision had been made on changing the recycling schedule, and that the town’s immediate focus is on implementing the new automated collection system while maintaining existing service levels.
Wayne Spritz, the Select Board liaison to the committee noted that the contract will also include new recycling contamination standards, which carry a “substantial financial penalty.” Connors said a recent one-day audit found that Swampscott’s recycling system had a contamination rate of about 5%, well below the 10% threshold that would trigger penalty.
“It’s important to recognize the community has done a lot of education and the people are making good choices,” Connors said. “It’s just making sure that we continue to remind folks.”
Connors also said residents will have several options for dealing with existing recycling bins and barrels that are no longer compatible with the automated collection system. Old containers may be reused for yard waste, brought to designated recycling drop-off locations, or scheduled for pickup as bulky items.
The town will host a public information session and question-and-answer forum on the new trash and recycling program Monday, June 15, at 6 p.m. at Swampscott High School. Residents will have an opportunity to view a sample 96-gallon recycling cart and ask questions about the upcoming transition before the new system takes effect.
