Photo: A WM side loading collection truck.
A giant in the waste removal industry was officially named Belmont’s trash and recycling hauler on Monday, Feb. 26 after winning a five-year contract with the town.
Waste Management of Houston was selected by Department of Public Works Director Jay Marcotte and approved unanimously by the Board of Selectmen at the board’s Monday morning meeting. Waste Management’s winning bid of $12.2 million over five years was $2.3 million less than the only other accepted bid from Casella Waste Systems of Rutland, Vermont.
Waste Management services approximately 21 million residential, industrial, municipal and commercial customers in US, Canada, and Puerto Rico with the largest trucking fleet in the waste removal industry with 26,000 collection and transfer vehicles.
The contract includes fully automated trash and recycling collection using 65-gallon (for trash) and 96-gallon (recycling) wheeled barrels, yard waste removal, the collection of Christmas trees and other bulky items as well as a fee for recycling processing. The contract begins on July 1.
While Waste Management takes over trash and recycling in four months, it will continue collecting curbside waste and recycling manually until the firm has purchased the new trucks that will service Belmont.
“The start date will be when they meet their comfort level,” said Marcotte, which could happen in the early fall. Before then, the DPW and town will reach out to homeowners and residents to educate the town on the new automated system.
The breakdown of the payments over the five years are:
- Fiscal ’19: $2,224,296
- Fiscal ’20: $2,355,554
- Fiscal ’21: $2,442,192
- Fiscal ’22: $2,531,867
- Fiscal ’23: $2,624,685
The first year of the new contract is approximately $350,000 more than the fiscal ’18 fee paid to Somerville-based Russell Disposal.
Marcotte told the board if there are any changes in the current market for recyclables beneficial to the town, “[Waste Management] promised to renegotiate the contract.”
Well, It’s about time! I have been shocked at the poor trash collection/recycling services in Belmont since I moved here — items from the small, uncovered bins, and the bins themselves, scattered along the street by the wind and poor handling; plastic bags left on the sidewalk, not in a container (and we have a rat problem),, and people taking bins that don’t belong to them. Where I lived before, we had Waste Management and the big bins, It was terrific! .
I remember when Belmont residents got the first recycling bins. For the last two years Waste Management has been my trash and recycling service provider after I moved. From Belmont to San Diego county. The big bins seemed daunting at first look but they are easy to roll and handle. The trucks that service my neighborhood run on clean natural gas. The operator stays inside the truck and a fork lift raises the bins for emptying. It’s very efficient and I guess it keeps labor costs down.
Yay for big barrels!