Foster Town Council adopted a new residential bulk-waste ordinance after a public hearing Oct. 9, 2025, formalizing which items residents may drop at the Department of Public Works and setting a sticker-based fee system for curbside and DPW drop-offs.

The ordinance, adopted as Section 28.3, authorizes the town to set annual prices for specific bulk items (so the schedule can change if the contractor raises disposal costs) and establishes a system of stickers to identify paid pickups or approved drop-offs. Councilors also approved a fee schedule to apply for the remainder of the 2026 fiscal year.

Why it matters: Council members said the ordinance is intended to stop informal roadside dumping, make users pay for large-item disposal rather than spread costs to all taxpayers, and let the town coordinate with its contractor on enforcement.

The council opened the hearing after reading the proposed ordinance and a detailed fee chart into the record. Resident Lynn Bridal (a member of the preservation organization; Burgess Road) told the council, “I'm for getting any kind of trash off our roads,” and asked for the list of covered items to be read aloud so residents would understand what the ordinance includes. Highway Director Gordon Rogers provided operational clarifications during the discussion, and council members said the contractor, Rambone Disposal, agreed to place warning stickers on items not accompanied by the proper sticker.

The fee schedule read into the record included sample prices the council adopted for the 2026 fiscal year: sectional couches $35 (pull-out with bed $40); standard couches $25; loveseats $20; recliners $15; cribs (no mattress) $10; wooden bed frames $15; kitchen tables $10–$15 (granite $15); kitchen chairs $3 each; bathroom vanities $10; porcelain sinks $5; toilets $10. Mattresses and box springs may be dropped at DPW free of charge as recyclable items; motor oil and scrap metal are free at DPW; propane tank drop-off fees were listed as $5 for 25-pound tanks and $10 for 50‑pound tanks (tanks must be empty). The council recorded that some items (for example appliances with Freon) may carry an additional charge when the town’s contractor incurs disposal costs.

Councilors discussed implementation details: the town will produce stickers for contractors and residents, supply information on the town website and in the Foster Home Journal, and distribute printed copies at Town Hall for residents who do not use the web. Highway Director Gordon Rogers reminded the council that if a resident does not put out a couch, they are not paying for someone else’s—it shifts the cost to the item owner. Rogers also cautioned that pull-out couch mattresses must be removed before pickup because the contractor will not take a couch containing a mattress curbside.

The council adopted the ordinance and the fee schedule after motions and voice votes. During the hearing the council indicated an intended Jan. 1 start for the sticker/collection program to let the town and contractor prepare; the fee schedule was adopted to run with the 2026 fiscal year. (The record contains a later, unclear statement about the precise effective date; the clerk should confirm the official effective date in the minutes.)

The council directed staff to issue a townwide notice, include a clip-out sheet in the Foster Home Journal, and make printed copies available at Town Hall. They also asked DPW staff and the contractor to ensure stickers are available on trucks and to use a red warning sticker for items left curbside without payment.