2018-09-26 BOS Recycling-min - Laserfiche WebLink

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Selectmen's Meeting—September 26, 2018 Page 1 of 5 SELECTMEN'S COMMUNITY MEETING Wednesday, September 26, 2018 A meeting of the Lexington Board of Selectmen was called to order at 7:01 p.m. on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 in Battin Hall of the Cary Memorial Building located at 1605 Massachusetts Avenue. Ms. Barry, Chair; Mr. Pato; Mr. Lucente; and Ms. Hai were present as well as Ms. Kosnoff, AssistantTown Manager for Finance; David Pinsonneault, Director of Public Works; Robert Beaudoin, Superintendent of Environmental Services; and Ms. Siebert, Recording Secretary. Ms. Ciccolo was absent. Also present were Mike Lavin, Wrentham DPW Director- John Horak and Ken McMenemy, E.L Harvey and Sons, Inc., Waste and Recycling Services. Mr. Pinsonnault, DPW Director, presented information on a possible change from manual to automated recycling pick-up. Lexington's new contract with waste hauler E.L Harvey allows the Town to switch to automated weekly recycling pick-up after a one.-year continuation of status quo manual services. The point of tonight's meeting is to gather feedback about the potential change but no decisions will be made at this time. Mr. Pinsonnault emphasized that the presentation is solely on recycling, not on trash, since previous meetings have already provided feedback on that subject. ,John Horak, E.L. Harvey General Manager, reported that the company currently serves 12 municipalities for recycling and 8 of the 12 use automated services. Some of these communities began with their relationship with E.L Harvey using automated single-stream service; others transitioned to automation at some point during the contract years. Mr. Horak listed the benefits of single stream automation as: improved aesthetics and minimization of litter and animal issues-, Pick-up rounds are more efficient and take less time; safety is improved; Workers' Compensation claims are fewer because there are not as many injuries and, due to this, employees are retained; long.-ten-n savings because company expenses are kept low; recycling carts are more durable than the current rectangular bins; carts are wheeled and easier to use. Based on E.L. Harvey and Town staff assessments, it was reported that 30-35% of Lexington residents already use some type of covered, wheeled cart for recycling, similar to those used in the automated service. Carts come in several sizes and examples of each were on display, the largest cart holding 96 gallons. The small.- and medium-sized carts hold 35 and 64 gallons, respectively; the current rectangular blue bins hold 18 gallons. Mike Lavin, Wrentham DPW Director, spoke from his experience with implementation of automated recycling programs in two other communities, Framingham and Wrentham. Framingham enjoyed "great savings", Mr. Lavin said, increasing recycling and creating a more efficient pick-up system. He recommended that Lexington opt for the largest size cart to reap the most benefits. Mr. Lavin reported that seniors do not often have problems maneuvering the wheeled carts because they are actually easier to handle than the rectangular bins which must be lifted. Mr. Lavin recommended that Lexington take the time to hone the cart distribution lists before implementation to ensure a smooth program rollout. For reasons of savings and control,