METHUEN – The launch of the city’s new waste and recycling program under EL Harvey & Sons remains on schedule with new waste and recycling carts delivered the week of September 12.
At its June 28 meeting, the city council voted 6 to 3 to approve a three-year contract with Harvey.
The automated cart-based program is designed to improve Methuen’s current position as one of the worst recycling communities in the state.
The city’s annual recycling rate increased from 3,400 tons in 2017 to 2,700 tons in 2021. During the same period, the annual waste rate increased from 18,000 tons to 20,500 tons.
“We were becoming known as the community where you could throw away your couch or your mattress for free and make the taxpayers of Methuen foot the bill,” Mayor Neil Perry said. “Most of the complaints I’ve received from residents over the past two and a half years have been about garbage. We have missed collections because the contractor cannot complete the route in time due to large volumes of waste or a lack of manpower. On windy and stormy days, we have trash and recyclables strewn all over the neighborhoods. The waste on our streets, the costs and the amount of waste have gotten out of control. »
Beginning September 12, each residence will receive a 64-gallon cart for weekly garbage collection and a 95-gallon cart for recycling every two weeks.
If necessary, the city will provide you with overflowing garbage bags. Additional garbage carts can also be rented for an annual fee.
Additionally, the city received a $240,000 grant from the Recycling Partnership to purchase up to 15,000 recycling carts and provide funds for training and awareness.
“The Recycling Partnership, with support from American Beverage’s Every Bottle Back initiative, is excited to work with the City of Methuen to improve the community’s recycling program,” said Haley Gabbard, community program manager at The Recycling Partnership. “The additional space will allow residents to recycle more, which supports local jobs and captures more valuable recyclable materials needed to make new products and packaging.”