Town Signs New Waste Management Contract

Less than two weeks after officials reviewed a new contract between Westwood and Waste Management, the Westwood Board of Selectmen on Monday signed the new contract to begin .

The five-year contract will begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2017, and the costs of the contract are based on 4,607 households in Westwood. 

Waste Management will provide each household with one 64-gallon wheeled bin for trash and one 96-gallon cart for single-stream recycling under the new contract. The trash bins are all green and will be emptied weekly, while the recycling bins include a yellow top and will be emptied on a bi-weekly basis. 

Residents who feel they will have more trash than can fit in the 64-gallon barrells will have the chance to purchase overflow bags at local grocery stores. The bags are estimated to cost about $3 each. 

Residents will have the chance to purchase additional trash bins for $150, with at an annual rate of $150 thereafter. The town will then be charged by Waste Management for the service rate of those additional carts. 

Selectmen Chair Pat Ahearn, though, encouraged the Department of Public Works on Monday to reconsider a portion of the contract that included charging residents $150 for an extra recycling bin.

"It seems like it's a disincentive to ask people to pay for recycling," Ahearn said. 

DPW Director Vicki Quiram agreed, and told Westwood Patch on Wednesday that the DPW is working to ensure residents who will require additional recycling bins are not charged for them.  

Residents are encouraged, though, to utilize the first recycling bins to their maxmimum potential before looking to see if an extra bin is needed. Citizens from surrounding communities who have similar programs in place have not traditionally required an additional trash or recycling bin, Quiram said. 

The DPW, meanwhile, is working to set up an FAQ section on its website to help residents with their concerns and questions. 

Quiram added that the DPW is working to get an Frequently Asked Questions forum set up on its website for residents to weigh in with concerns and input.

For more information, contact the Westwood Department of Public Works at dpw@townhall.westwood.ma.us.