Onset business owners and members of the Onset Bay Association were at Tuesday's Selectmen's meeting to express their displeasure with the recently enacted carry in, carry out policy and removal of rubbish barrels from Onset beaches.

The policy is meant to save the approximately $2,500 per weekend spent on beach clean- up, and to help keep the beaches clean by encouraging patrons to pick up after themselves.

Those who violate the policy may be subject to up to $500 in fines.

"If it wasn't for the residents who pick up trash...it would be far worse than it is," said Deb Alfonso who owns the Onset Bay Trading Company. She noted that the trash problem doesn't just come from beachgoers.

"We have to take into consideration that people who don't have trash pickup," are using the dumpsters located at the entrance of the beach to dispose of their household trash Alfonso said.

President of the Onset Bay Association Eleanor Martin noted that a lack of signs left beachgoers unaware of the policy.

Some of the solutions proposed by the association were bringing the barrels back, installing barrels similar to the ones at Little Harbor Beach that would hopefully be big enough to hold a day's worth of trash, or business owners forming a coalition and mixing private money with tax dollars to pay for clean up in Onset.

Town Administrator Derek Sullivan said that 20 signs are on the way to inform people on Onset of the policy.

"You are absolutely right about the signs, we have ordered them," said Sullivan.

As for people disposing of their household trash in public facilities, Sullivan said that is likely to be a problem whether it's a dumpster at one end of the beach, or barrels throughout the beach.

"People who were bringing their household trash to the dumpsters, they were doing it with the barrels."

Jamie Souza, who owns Guido's Ice Cream in Onset, said that the policy discouraged business in the village.

"I don't think it's going to encourage new businesses to come into the community when they see the town doesn't have any amenities," said Souza. "I don't understand why people don't understand what we have in that village: We have a gold mine."

Sullivan agreed that Onset is a gem, saying it's better than a number of beaches on Cape Cod, and saying that he believes people will adapt to the new policy: "It's not too much to ask for them to carry their trash out with them."