Despite what you may hear, we are not keeping our current trash system. And it’s not because of Article 31, the town bylaw change that we’re having a referendum on; it’s because of Article 23. Huh? Let me back up.
Trash hauling is an expensive business. As it has gotten more expensive, the haulers have switched over to automated trucks. The exact degree of automation varies, but at the very least, a mechanical arm handles emptying the bins into the truck, instead of a team of people. Once our town’s hauling contract runs out, our next contact will likely be automated—the savings nearby towns have seen are quite substantial, and it’s hard to say no to free money, especially given our current fiscal pressures.
In order to implement automated pickup, you need standardized bins that work with the mechanical arm. Since not everyone has the right kind of bin, the town will be providing a bin for every household. Town Meeting appropriated money this year to buy those bins, through Article 23; although many of the Town Meeting members leading the No campaign voted against that appropriation, they chose not to bother trying to overturn it with a referendum. So the money is allocated, and the town can go ahead with the transition regardless of how the town wide vote turns out.
But because the town will be providing bins, it will have to confront a new question: What if a household wants more than one bin? The most natural option is to charge a fee. A Yes vote on the referendum would permit the town to do that. If the No vote prevails, then the town’s options would be limited.
The simplest remaining option would be to just give each household one bin and leave it at that. The old bylaw does not require the town to pick up unlimited trash. It doesn’t even require the town to have curbside pickup, and although I don’t expect us to bring back the town dump in the immediate future, it is the new bylaw, which a Yes vote ratifies, that actually commits the town to providing curbside pickup indefinitely.
In practice, even with a No vote, I expect the town would muddle through. The Select Board members have all said they want to keep trash disposal simple for residents and minimize disruption. Most people don’t run for office because they want to inflict misery on their neighbors, and I expect they would jury-rig something to keep things running as best they can. But the final result would unavoidably be less predictable, less efficient, and less fair than what we’ll get if the Yes vote passes.
Long explanations aren’t sexy, and I know this won’t get anyone energized to vote Yes. But I hope you will anyway: Sometimes good choices are really boring.
Benjamin Lees