Hey BloggingBelmont readers. This is something of a last minute notice, but better late than never! Tonight (Sept. 25) at 6:00 PM in the Auditorium at Town Hall (down the hall from the Selectmen’s room). Long and short: Belmont’s trash disposal and waste recycling contracts are up for renewal and there’s tremendous interest in town in getting Belmont to recycle more and waste (or landfill) less. Right now, just 1 in 10 Massachusetts towns pay entirely for waste disposal with property taxes and set no limits or fees on trash, and Belmont is one of them. While that might sound “nice,” it also encourages waste. According to data compiled by Town Meeting member Kim Slack, the average Belmont household recycled 7.3 lbs/wk compared with 10.2lbs/wk in Arlington – 40% more
Other troubling statistics: our recycling rate of 22% is unchanged from 2011. Something needs to change and the renewal of the Town’s waste contract is the opportunity to do it. In our Annual Town Meeting this year, Belmont voted 62% in favor to have the Board of Selectmen seriously considering a Pay-As-You-Throw approach in the request for proposal for the Town’s business. This would allow people to recycle as much as they want at no cost, but put a per-bag fee on trash. With Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) Bags residents buy special bags at local retailers $1-2 bag, fees returned to residents annually. Other cities and towns that have adopted this approach have seen a big jump in recycling rates and a big drop in the waste stream generated by residents.
That and other options may be eligible for state grants such as SMART (Save Money and Reduce Trash). So…there’s a lot to consider but Belmont stands to realize both fiscal and environmental gains and -overall – enjoy a more competitive and (hopefully) favorable bidding process than in years past.
I hope I see you talking trash tonight at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting!