Town releases transfer station policy, bags not yet available

The town has released its official transfer station policy, including the answers to many common questions.

However, town trash bags and transfer station stickers are not yet available.

The Rte. 28 Transfer Station will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, beginning on Jan. 5.

2020 transfer station stickers will be accepted until Feb. 1, 2021, but officials have said bags will be required beginning Jan. 5. It is not clear whether the bags will be available by then. As of Dec. 28, Town Administrator Derek Sullivan did not give a date when residents could expect to find the bags in stores.

The town is now having to dispose of waste on its own, after being part of a district with Carver and Marion since the 1970s. While the town was part of the district, Covanta-SEMASS disposed of all the towns’ waste for free in exchange for access to the landfill in Carver. Now that deal is coming to an end, and residents need to pay for waste disposal.

The transfer station’s operation will be paid for by the cost of $125 transfer station stickers. The cost of the disposal of waste disposed of there will be paid for by the cost of special town trash bags.

The small bags are 12 to 15 gallons -- the same size as a typical kitchen garbage bag -- and can hold up to 15 pounds of waste. Those bags cost $1.25 each, and will be sold in rolls of ten bags for $12.50.

The larger bags will be 30 to 33 gallons -- not quite as big as a contractor bag -- and can hold about 25 pounds of waste. Those bags will be sold for $2 each, in a pack of five for $10.

Once the distribution locations for the bags are confirmed, the list will be shared on the town website.

The stickers will be available online, and will cost $125 for the first vehicle and $60 for an additional vehicle. Carver residents may purchase stickers for $140 for the first vehicle and $60 for additional vehicles. Stickers purchased online will be mailed to the purchaser’s home.

Only household residential waste will be accepted at the Rte. 28 transfer station.

Transfer station employees will be able to refuse to accept excessive amounts (more than five bags) of waste at any point.

The transfer station will also accept single-stream recycling, which means that recyclables do not have to be sorted by type. 

At least for the time being, large items like mattresses, tires, furniture, and lumber will not be accepted.

Town-wide curbside trash and recycling pick-up is set to begin on April 1. At that point, residents will no longer be able to independently hire their own contractor. 

The town offered an exclusive contract for hauling to keep the cost down for residents.

Selectman Peter Teitelbaum said that the yearly price for curbside pick-up will be $365 through the town. If residents hired their own contractors, they would pay an average of $550 annually.

The cost of curbside hauling will be split into two billing cycles. Because the program won’t start until April, the first billing cycle will be prorated. The first bill, to be issued in June, will be for $91.25, the cost for the first three months of the program. The second bill will cover the last six months of the year for $182.50.

Those who purchase transfer station stickers will have that cost credited toward the cost of curbside hauling.

Transfer station stickers will be available for purchase online. Curbside service sign-up will also be online. Neither of those websites are up and running as of Dec. 28.