Marion working out trash transition details

Jul 11, 2019

MARION — Selectmen, the Town Administrator and Waste Management will work to inform the town about trash pickup changes by mail, meetings and a videocast as the town works to transition its solid waste disposal to a private collector. 

Finance Director Judy Mooney said at a July 10 Finance Committee meeting that the town had gotten around 400 responses on a survey to pick the colors for new receptacles, and chose green for trash and blue for recycling. 

Selectmen have a meeting on Tuesday with Waste Management to discuss rollout details, and hope to send out a mailing on the switch later next week. 

Town Administrator Jay McGrail also proposed at a July 11 department heads meeting that instead of a public meeting on waste rollout, he could do a videocast with ORCTV and put it out through Facebook and the town website. 

“It would get all the information out to people without them having to come here,” McGrail said. 

Selectman John Waterman said that he thought an in-person meeting would be helpful, even with a videocast. 

Starting Aug. 1, trash collection will be handled by Waste Management and not the Department of Public Works. However, the company will initially use old receptacles as they learn routes, delivering new receptacles toward the end of August. The goal would be to use Waste Management’s automated process by Sept. 3.

McGrail said that Selectmen were able to limit special trash conditions on Christmas and the Fourth of July that allows residents to exceed the one receptacle limit. Town residents will also have the option to purchase a second receptacle if they need it.