November Will See a Few Changes to Trash/Recycling
Trash pick-up on Center Street on Thursday morning. Town Administrator Denis notes that trash and recycling pick-up is an important service, which costs the town about $1.1-million per year to collect and $350-thousand to dispose.
By David Dunbar
Every weekday, along Bellingham’s 110 miles of roads and streets residents hear the rumble of trucks coming by to pick up their trash and recycling.
Five thousand tons of waste and 1,500 tons of recycled materials are collected every year according to Town Administrator Denis Fraine. The trash goes to a waste/energy facility in Millbury and the other stuff goes to a recycling center in Hopkinton.
“This is an important service we provide to the community,” says Fraine. And the Town pays about $1.1-million per year to collect waste and recycling and another $350-thousand to dispose of it.
All those trucks belong to E.L. Harvey & Sons that has about 120 collection vehicles in MA, RI, and NH. The company is on a three-year contract with the Town, with two years remaining. “We competitively bid this contract every three years,” explains Fraine. “The Select Board conducts rate reviews and always keeps in mind the impact on residents with fixed incomes.”
E.L Harvey, based in Westborough, has about 350 employees, 4,000 commercial customers, and annual revenue of approximately $110-million according to the website WasteDive (E.L. Harvey did not respond to our requests for comments). The company was founded by Emory Larkin Harvey in 1911 and has subsequently been run by four generations of Harveys.
Effective November 1, mattresses will no longer be picked up as part of regular trash collection. They can be dropped off at the Town’s recycling center for free (it is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.).
Trash/recycling discounts are available for seniors above the age of 65 which will reduce the quarterly cost by about half. “They need to come to the Department of Public Works on Blackstone Street and bring proof of date of birth,” says the DPW’s Barbara Sooklal. “Discounts will take affect at the time of application,” she continues, “and they are not retroactive.”
Sooklal adds a couple of things about trash and recycling. “Please wash out all the items you want to recycle. Bacteria can grow while inside the hot trucks as the items are transported, and that’s not good.”
“Metal objects including bed frames and refrigerators can still be picked up curbside, but please call E.L. Harvey at 1-800-321-3002 to make arrangements,” she explains. Same goes for large wooden items like sofas and desks.
If your trash bin is full, you can purchase plastic bags to hold the excess. “They’re available at the DPW… $3 each or 5 for $15, 45-gallon bags. People are really paying for the disposal of the trash, not just the bags,” says Sooklal.
More information is available on the Town website: www.bellinghamma.org and click on the “Departments” heading to find Public Works.
