Trim Trash Campaign
Waste Reduction = SMART (Saves Money and Reduces Trash)
“Yes, One Can!”
Goal:
 Reduce trash and save Andover $250,000 per year
SMART Plan:
 Your taxes will still provide:
o Weekly pickup of one trash bag or barrel per household per week
o Biweekly pickup of an unlimited amount of recyclables
o One allowable bulky item per week
 Any additional trash must be placed in SMART bags, which can be purchased at
many convenient locations
 SMART trash bag fees will cover the cost of collection and disposal for the extra
trash. Bags will be sold by retailers at no mark-up and with no sales tax (estimated
cost: $2 per bag).
 All delivery, billing and accounting will be handled by the SMART bag vendor.
Andover receives the proceeds and a monthly report.
 No additional Town staff will be required.
Background:
 Recycling markets fluctuate and have gone down recently but are still viable, though
less profitable than last year. Providing an ongoing stream of materials is crucial to
keep mills and manufacturers using recyclable materials in operation.
 Over two-thirds of MA towns require residents to pay for trash disposal, using a
transfer station sticker fee, an annual fee for curbside collection, Pay-As-You-Throw
or other programs. Every year 5-10 more head in that direction. More than 125
towns in Massachusetts have reduced their disposal costs using this type of program!
 NOT PAYT - A SMART plan differs from PAYT programs in one key aspect –
residents’ taxes continue to pay for trash collection, recycling collection, and trash
disposal for one bag or barrel’s worth of trash per week for each household. So
seniors, small families and families that recycle a lot won’t need extra bags most of
the time.
 It’s a Win – Win: A SMART plan encourages more recycling, reduces disposal
costs, and brings in some additional revenue by making people think about trash
differently. The annual net benefit to the town is estimated at $250,000, with most
households spending only $10 to $20 per year (or less) on SMART bags. In towns
that have adopted this type of program, only about 20% of homes need an extra
(SMART) bag on an average week.
 Environmental Benefits – By adding a financial incentive, a SMART plan
encourages residents to sort their trash differently so they can:
o Reuse items, by passing them along to others
o Purchase items that use less packaging
o Repair items when possible rather than throwing them out
o Separate out more recyclables for curbside collection
 The Right Time: Now is a good time to change Andover’s municipal trash
system. The NESWC contract, with its “put-or-pay” requirement ended in 2006
and therefore the Town is able to benefit directly and immediately from reducing
its trash tonnage.
 Better Uses for Taxes – Andover expects a major budget shortfall this year. It is
time to look at all options to avoid raising taxes. It’s time to be SMART!
More Details:
Several towns have recently implemented this model – Hamilton, Wrentham, Attleboro,
East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Marshfield, and Gardner. Those towns experienced a
significant reduction in the amount of trash tonnage (20-30%), an increase in recycling,
composting and donations, and a financial benefit to the town as well. The new
programs did not result in additional illegal dumping problems and residents
accepted the changes.
We recommend that the Selectmen set a start date of February 1, 2010. A start date of
February will balance the desire for immediate financial benefits in FY10 with the need
to provide adequate public information to residents about the change in the municipal
trash system.
Taxes Will Still Cover:
Pay for Extra Trash, Only if Needed
Petition to Andover Selectmen
We the undersigned respectfully request that the Board of Selectmen consider all options
for closing the budget gap including consideration of a revised program for solid waste
and recycling collection. We recommend that the Town adopt a trash limit allowing:
- One bag or barrel of trash per household per week at no additional charge
- Unlimited amounts of recyclables collected at no additional charge; and
- Bulky waste collected at the rate of one item per week at no additional charge.
The only change would be in instances where there is more than one barrel of trash per
household per week. In that case, the additional trash would be required to be in a
designated bag, the cost of which would offset the cost of the collection and disposal for
that amount of trash (~$2.00 per bag). Bags would be available in rolls of five at grocery,
hardware and convenience stores in town.
Comparing Andover to similar towns (Natick and Hamilton, among others), we estimate
conservatively that Andover can reduce its trash tonnage 20-30%. Andover is in a
shrinking minority of towns that pay for trash without any fees. The trash limit would
generate an immediate savings of 2000-3000 tons for which we will pay $64/ton next
year with a net savings of $128-192,000. In addition to the savings, there would be some
additional revenue from the sale of bags for a total projected benefit to the Town of
approximately $250,000. There doesn’t have to be any cost to residents who don’t want
to pay more. It is a financial incentive to get serious about sorting the recyclables. It is
time for Andover to adopt a trash policy that is SMART (Saves Money and Reduces
Trash). Please give this option your serious consideration.
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Trim Trash Petition signatures, page ____
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