Got Trash?

by Glenn C. Koenig, Webmaster at Town Wide Mall
(updated 3 May 2026)

Maynard, MA - Maynard town government is planning to move to a new trash and recycling system which will no longer use trash stickers.  The system will be fully operational the second half of this year, after July 1st.  At my house, we have a few trash stickers in our kitchen “miscellaneous” drawer, but we’re planning to use what we have and avoid buying more unless we need a few extras.  I recommend that you do the same.

Also, our old black trash barrel has seen better days, but we’re hoping it lasts a bit longer.  There is no sense buying a new one, because a new trash “cart" will soon be provided for us to use instead.

There are a lot of details to this new program, so I plan to cover more of them in subsequent postings.  I’m using a Question & Answer format, below, to try to answer the most pressing questions.

Question 1:  When will all this happen?
​Answer 1:  Theoretically, after July 1st, although there are some last minute details to be worked out.  So residents still have time (about two months) to get familiar with the program.

Part 1: Town Meeting Vote

Question 2:  Why the sudden flood of information from the town?  We’ve received:
• an e-mail message,
• a phone call with a recorded message,
• and a text message,
​… all saying pretty much the same thing, and all in the last few days!

Answer 2:  The rush is on because Town Meeting is on May 18th (7:00 PM at the Fowler middle school auditorium), only two weeks away. The Warrant (agenda for the meeting) just arrived, nestled in the “Action Unlimited” ad flyer today (May 1st).  It gives details on an article to be voted on, to fund the new system.
(If you are unfamiliar with Town Meeting or what a Warrant is, please see my “Introduction to New England Town Government," a PDF available on the Perspectives Page on this web site.

In order for everything related to this new program to go into effect, voters who attend Town Meeting will have to approve article 26, which provides the financial foundation and is the last step needed before the program can go forward.
​True, the amount shown is over $1 million, but this is the town’s typical budget for trash and recycling in previous years.

Question 3:  If I want to get better prepared to vote at Town Meeting, what can I do?
Answer 3A:  There are a number of ways.  First, Town officials are holding three “informational sessions in the next few days.  This schedule is from an e-mail message sent out by the Town Administrator.

• Saturday, May 2: 11 a.m. - noon at the Maynard Public Library, Roosevelt Room
• Sunday, May 3: 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Grill and Gather, Maynard Rod & Gun Club, 45 Old Mill Road. This will be a casual chance to ask your individual questions while attending this wonderful free picnic and event sponsored by Maynard’s Public Safety and Health Departments. 
• Tuesday, May 5: 12 - 12:45 p.m. at the Council on Aging (Maynard Golf Course – 50 Brown St.)

Additional sessions will be advertised over the upcoming weeks.
​Note:  Although these sessions are being scheduled before town meeting, they are open to all residents, even those who may not be able to attend town meeting.
Answer 3B:  If you did not receive a copy of the Warrant booklet, or you wish to download a copy in PDF form, in order to read and search it on a device, it’s available on the Town’s Web site: https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/4278/Annual-Town-Meeting-Warrant-May-18-2026

Answer 3C:  Anyone wishing to understand the financial issues pertaining to warrant article 26 more deeply can log into the Finance Committee Meeting on May 11th, starting at 7:05 PM.  The meeting is held virtually, over Zoom.  The page describing how to log in is:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_05112026-2091
Note that the Finance Committee is likely to discuss other articles in the Warrant that pertain to finances, so patience may be required as they work their way down to Article 26.  However, this is not to say that the discussions on the other articles are not valuable!  Finance Committee (Fin Comm) meetings can help voters gain some background on the issues to be voted on, before they arrive at Town Meeting.

Part 2: How will the new system work?

Question 4:  If no one has to buy stickers anymore, how will we pay for trash pickup in the future?
Answer 4:  The town plans to have each household register for the new program and select options. The web site is already up, at this link:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/FormCenter/Public-Works-5/Registration-Form-for-Solid-Waste-Recycl-67

Note: The town hopes to have everyone registered before July 1st.  Once a household registers, it will be provided with a “cart” which will be required for placing trash on the curb once the system goes into effect, after July 1st.  All trash must be placed in the cart provided, bags placed on the curb cannot be collected (unless they are special orange overflow bags, purchased from the town for occasional excess trash amounts).
​The town will bill each household by including a separate section on the water bills, once every 3 months.  The cost, per household, depends on which option is chosen, as shown in this chart:

Question 5:  What if I live in an apartment or a condominium complex?
Answer 5:  Apartments:  For small buildings, up to 4 units, where residents put their trash out on the curb for collection, they can register just as single family households can.  For apartments in larger buildings, residents will continue to have their trash and recycling handled as specified by their landlord.  ​
Condo Owners:  Since the layout of many condominium communities are not conducive to automated curbside collection, each condominium association or governing board is encouraged to reach out to the Department of Public Works at [email protected] to jointly discuss and agree upon options for their residents.

Question 6:  Why is the town doing this?
Answer 6:  The costs for disposal of trash and recycling are increasing faster than the rate of inflation for most towns in Massachusetts.  There are few landfills and only a handful of trash incinerators left for trash disposal in the entire state! 
Recycling depends on the value of recyclable materials.  That determines how much income can be obtained from selling them on the open market.  By this point in time, markets are such that the money earned from the sale of the materials barely covers (or even fails to cover) the cost of having the trucks come around to pick up the recycling, take it to recycling centers, and have it all sorted out into separate streams (paper, plastic, glass, metal, etc.).

By changing to standard carts (similar to the current blue recycling carts, but smaller), E. L. Harvey, our trash and recycling contractor, can collect trash more quickly and efficiently, without having drivers having to exit their trucks to pick up isolated bags or deal with resident provided containers of varying sizes and conditions.  This will cut down on their overhead and save the town money.

Meanwhile, the town will have a more predictable stream of income to pay for all this, when compared to the current sticker program. ​

Background

Although this may seem quite sudden, the system now being implemented is the result of work that began over two years ago.  The problems with the sticker system were already well known but what to do instead was still a big question.  As with many aspects of town government, costs were rising faster than revenue, which must come from property taxes, state aid, and fees.  There was a sense of urgency to develop solutions that would keep our budget balanced and still have all the trash and recycling collected.
A number of volunteers, working with town officials as part of the "Solid Waste and Recycling Task Force," put in hundreds of hours to research the problem, survey the public, and come up with proposals on how to go forward. They submitted their final report, including their recommendations, to the Select Board back in February of 2025.
In order to implement the program, the Public Works departmen had to hire a part time staffer to manage the details.  This required posting the position, interviewing candidates, and hiring the employee, all of which took most of 2025. In December of 2025, Linde Ghere was hired for the position.
As soon as she was on board, she had to put out requests for proposals to the various trash and recycling companies that operate in Massachusetts, then wait for bids to come in.  After evaluating the bids, only one company, E. L. Harvey remained willing to fulfill the requirements.
At various times, information on this entire process was posted on the town’s web site, but typically, most residents in town didn’t have the time to delve into the details in various meeting minutes, reports, etc.  Until the Summer of 2025, when The Maynard Voice started up, I was the only consistent reporter of news in town, and I was only able to post information on this process occasionally. For more on why Maynard no longer has a local newspaper, please see my PDF essay “No News? ...” on the Perspectives page, here on this web site.

Resources

There are a number of sources of information that you can take advantage of, in addition to what I already mentioned above.
The Maynard Voice ran a story back in mid April, then posted an update on April 30th.  You can read that here:  ​https://maynardvoice.com/maynards-trash-and-recycling-program-is-changing-heres-what-you-need-to-know/

The town’s web site has a page dedicated to Solid Waste and Recycling, here:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/252/Solid-Waste-Recycling
There are a number of Frequently Asked Questions listed if you scroll down.  I expect that list will expand as more people contact the town with questions.

Commentary

The best way to save on waste disposal costs is obviously to create less waste.  But that’s not as easy as it might sound.  Many things we buy and use come in containers or packaging that is not reusable.  We are at the mercy of the providers of those goods.  It’s a take it or leave it proposition.
Although the town’s plan is to charge for trash removal by volume (what fits in a cart), the “tipping cost” the town must pay to have that trash incinerated is based on weight.
In general, in most homes, food waste contributes a significant amount to the weight of trash discarded.
So, what about composting?  Composting is superior to incineration, by far.  It returns the nutrients in food waste to the soil, instead of having it burned, where the remaining ash ends up in a landfill.  There are three main ways to proceed with composting.  Using a back yard composter, taking compost to a town drop off facility, or having it picked up curbside (by placing it in a small green cart).
However, there are issues:
• The town has composting bins available for sale on the Composting web page:  https://www.townofmaynard-ma.gov/247/Composting
These bins are intended to be set outdoors, on the ground, in a back or side yard.  That page has extensive information about how to set up and use them.  Of course, they only have a certain capacity, so families that have more than the minimal food waste may end up filling their bin before the material within can complete the decomposition process. Although the town’s composting web page doesn’t specifically mention this, food waste from animal sources, such as meat, bones, dairy products, or eggs cannot be composted in them without drawing local wildlife, which can overturn or damage the composter unit in order to munch on the contents.  Also, such composters require some knowledge to use them, or the contents may not decompose properly.
• The town is planning to implement a compost drop off facility as part of the new system, but some families may be reluctant to deal with using the family car to transport the compost there.  At least animal based food waste (meat, bones, eggs, dairy products) can be accommodated.
• Curbside pickup adds too much to the cost of the program to be implemented by the town right now.  Maynard hopes to be able to provide this service, as some other towns do, but there is no specific schedule set for that to be implemented.  Meanwhile, residents who want their compost picked up curbside, must pay for the service themselves.  At our house, we are fortunate enough to have the financial resources to pay Black Earth for this service, and I recommend it, but it’s been slow to catch on.  We have the weekly plan, which is $180 per year.  You can enter “Maynard” in the box on their web site to see the other options.  Here’s the link to find out more:  ​https://www.blackearthcompost.com/home-pickup

I have a lot more to say in the way of commentary, but as it is already 2:30 AM as I am writing this, I will have to explain more at another time.

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