Of 38 municipalities in central Massachusetts, Harvard has the distinction of being second highest in trash disposal per Transfer Station permit holder. The Board of Health’s top priority is to get the town out of that top ranking by increasing recycling at the Transfer Station, said Chairwoman Sharon McCarthy. She said the health board believes that adopting the state’s Save Money and Reduce Trash (SMART) program is the way to increase recycling and reduce fees charged to the town for waste removal. McCarthy said that Irene Congdon, a municipal assistance coordinator with the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, has been educating board members on the merits of SMART and how the town can access state grants to adopt it. Congdon told the group that SMART is the state’s preferred brand for what people have been calling a “pay-as-you-throw” program.
Congdon was to have explained the program and asked for the Board of Selectmen’s support at the Jan. 23 selectmen’s meeting, but the meeting was canceled because of icy conditions. It is rescheduled for Jan. 30, and a revised agenda will be available Jan. 25.
McCarthy explained to the Press that there are two components to the SMART program. The town would still issue Transfer Station permits, but at a reduced price. The money collected from stickers would pay for operating costs of the Transfer Station. Residents would then pay for each bag of trash they put in the hauler, the goal being to motivate them to increase their recyclables and reduce their trash. Only SMART bags, which residents could purchase from a specified retailer, would be allowed to be thrown in the hauler. That money would be used to pay the tipping fees, the cost of contracting with haulers for trash removal. Congdon told health board members that in other towns such as Groton, Littleton, and Shirley, the amount owed in tipping fees went down 30 percent or more after they implemented the SMART program.
Whatever money the town earns from its recyclables would be “gravy,” said McCarthy, and could be used at the Transfer Station for improvements such as signage, repainting lane lines, and color-coding areas. Since recyclables are sold as commodities in fluctuating markets, it is hard to predict how much they bring in, said McCarthy.
New goals; new regulations
McCarthy credits Congdon for raising the town’s awareness of SMART. In her job as municipal assistance coordinator, Congdon worked with Board of Health members last October when the board was setting new regulations for waste haulers that offer curbside pickup. As of Jan. 1, the 11 haulers that are permitted by the health board to work in Harvard now have to provide recycling bins as well as trash bins. Harvard is only the second or third town in the state to impose this regulation.
In the course of working with the health board on those regulations, Congdon, who already knew Tim Kilhart, director of public works, spent time with him and Selectman Stu Sklar talking about how to also increase recycling at the Transfer Station through the SMART program. The state is working hard to implement its Master Plan 2010–2020, which calls for a 30 percent reduction in trash, Congdon told health board members.
Congdon is knowledgeable about state grants for which the town can apply to help with the transition to SMART. The first area is in technical assistance; a grant would pay for 60 hours of Congdon’s time to help the town adopt the new program. A bridge grant would award the town money to help bridge the funding gap between the old permit fee and the new lower-cost fee. A third area, education and outreach, would give the town 40 hours of Congdon’s time, printed materials, mailing, and funds to pay staff for enforcement. The Recycling Partnership recommends that a town allow six to eight weeks of preparation time. McCarthy said the deadline to submit grant applications is Feb. 20.
