Waste and Recycling Committee Update, April 2023

Princeton’s Waste & Recycling Committee (WRC) was formed in 2020 as a temporary committee “to investigate options for a preferred hauler program with a fixed annual cost that will save residents money and encourage waste reduction.” In the past three years we have investigated a number of options, encountered a number of challenges and dead ends, and would like to update residents on our progress—or the lack thereof—to date.

• A June, 2021 RFP for preferred hauler pricing resulted in just one unsatisfactory proposal, primarily due to severe pandemic disruptions.
• We explored the possibility of sharing Westminster’s transfer station, but it requires amending Westminster and Fitchburg’s contract with Waste Management (WM), which is based on use of the landfill, and is highly unlikely to be of interest to either town or WM.
• When pandemic-related labor shortages had not eased as hoped by early 2022, we began to look into siting a small transfer station in Princeton, which might offer residents a lower-cost option for disposing of household trash and recycling on a pay-as-you-throw basis. We explored the possibility of using some space at the Highway Barn on East Princeton Road for this purpose.
• To determine the likely weekly volume of a household trash and recycling transfer station, we developed a survey, mailed in late December, 2022 to households via the Town Census. Results of that survey are available here. They show strong interest in a transfer station, at least among the 312 respondents.
• Meetings with the Highway Department, Board of Health (BoH), and Central Mass Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) representatives have made it clear that the Highway Barn site is not an option for siting a transfer station. Any new transfer station site must be approved by DEP, BoH, and the Town via a series of public hearings, and approvals at the state level are complex and increasingly rare.
• DEP representatives suggested that we explore using our existing (now closed) landfill site on Hubbardston Road (also currently being considered as a solar farm site). We are seeking the original paperwork or BoH vote establishing the landfill. If the paperwork identifies the landfill as approved for “all solid waste operations,” we may be able to site a transfer station there—but only if all other BoH and DEP criteria (and there are many, including bathroom facilities, water supply, setbacks from ground water /wetland, etc.) are also met. BoH members have also expressed reservations about volunteer staffing, maintenance, and illegal dumping at a transfer station. BoH has final approval responsibility for any transfer station site.
• There are currently two approved haulers for Princeton: Waste Management and E.L. Harvey. E.L. Harvey is the hauler for the Town’s municipal buildings. We hope to convene a meeting soon with Harvey representatives to explore possible options for both municipal and residential arrangements.
• As we continue to explore the limited options for a small, rural town like Princeton, we encourage regular use of the Wachusett Watershed Regional Recycling Center in West Boylston. Please consult RecycleSmartMA.org if you have questions about what can and cannot be recycled.
• Our next meeting is Thursday, June 15 at 9 am. Please feel free to attend.

WRC members: Claire Golding, Chair; Richy Bisk, Shaunna Knuth, Jim Hillis (BoH liaison), Peter Guimette (AC liaison), Sherry Patch (Town Administrator), Irene Congdon (advisor, Central Mass Municipal Waste Coordinator)