MELROSE — As the city gets ready to enter new contracts for the collection of trash and recycling this summer, residents expressed an overwhelming desire to continue recycling pickup every week, despite the cost.
The city conducted a survey recently and of the 2,191 responses, 1,660 (over 75 percent) said they preferred to keep having their recyclables picked up from the curb on a weekly basis. About 90 percent of those cited having too much recycling as their reason for staying with the weekly collections.
The survey was open from January 6 through the beginning of this month. It was available on-line, via phone call to the City Yard and on hard copies at accessible locations.
Under the new trash and recycling collection program — which still must be finalized — residents will get a 64-gallon cart for trash and a 64-gallon cart for recyclables.
More than half of the respondents of the survey said they favored the 64-gallon cart size for weekly recycling.
The cart distribution and more information will be coming prior to the July 1 start date of the new contract provisions.
The new program will include automated pickup from the city’s new hauler, Casella Waste Systems. The trucks are equipped with mechanical arms that pick up the carts and empty them.
The city has been operating under this same contract since 2012, and since then, the cost of trash and recycling services has more than doubled.
As a result of the required program upgrade, the city will raise the trash fee to $430/per household/per year so it can continue providing trash and recycling as a service to the community.
Another key change is that the new trash and recycling vendor, Casella Waste Management, is requiring the city to purchase new wheeled carts (toters) to comply with the hauler’s automated pickup feature. This means the city will buy new city-owned carts (toters) for trash and recycling.
Another important change to note is the size of the trash and recycling toters. Melrose will be providing each household will receive one (1) 64-gallon recycling toter and one (1) 64-gallon trash toter. The city will purchase and distribute the wheeled carts to customers and will provide replacement parts and repairs at no additional cost to residents.
Officials will work with Casella to schedule a cart distribution event. During the event, carts will be delivered directly to each residential unit to help make this transition as seamless and worry-free as possible.
Community members can read the answers to the new program’s Frequently Asked Questions by visiting cityofmelrose.org/public-works
And residents can also expect an education campaign to roll out this spring.