Higher prices coming for Grafton’s trash
Taking out the trash is about to get more expensive in Grafton.
The town’s contract with Westborough hauler E.L. Harvey will expire on June 30, and since the town’s last contract, recycling has gone from a price offset to an increased costs.
Temporary Town Administrator Carter Terenzini told the Select Board Tuesday that the town will likely see a $170,000 increase in trash costs in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget, leaving the town with three choices: negotiate with Harvey for a new contract, seek bids from other trash haulers, or not collect town trash at all.
“Getting rid of our trash plan is the wrong decision,” said Select Board member Doreen DeFazio, who managed the start of the town’s Pay As You Throw program in 2009.
The cost of trash, however, has been climbing. Recycling used to be brought to China and other overseas markets for reuse, but changes to the market has left trash haulers with excess recycling — even as consumers have embraced the concept.
Terenzini estimated a possible 40 percent increase in the cost of Grafton’s Pay As You Throw bags. The bags now cost $1.80 per 30 gallon bag or $1 per 15 gallon bag and are a frequent cause of complaints among residents.
DeFazio said she will advocate for upgrading the town’s bags. “I would happily step up to re-take my nickname as ‘Bag Lady.’”
