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Residents and council press town on new waste contract after pickup changes; manager says staff troubleshooting
Summary
Residents raised complaints about new Casella collection rules and operational problems during public comment; Town Manager Matt Sturgis said staff are troubleshooting and call volumes are dropping, and the town announced upcoming drop‑off events for electronics, bulky items and document shredding.
Residents used the council’s public discussion period Monday to press municipal leaders over recent changes to curbside waste collection under the new Casella contract, citing confusion about where to place bins, winter‑time access and bag sizes.
“On Hedge Row … we have to put our garbage cans across the road,” said Bill Young, a resident, describing the practical burden of moving cans into the roadway in winter. Dottie Spalding told the council she heard from neighbors that the new system feels disconnected from residents’ expectations and said some people are hiring private contractors to avoid the new rules. “There’s a tremendous disconnect between the town officials and the residents of Cumberland,” Spalding said.
Town Manager Matt Sturgis told the council staff have been working with residents and Casella to resolve problems and that call volume has started to fall in week two of the new contract. He said crews are troubleshooting route issues and that town staff had worked with a resident on a lake road pickup reconciliation. Sturgis also said crews were tagging non‑compliant cans with yellow stickers to notify residents of what needs to change, and that staff are collecting feedback to refine operations.
Sturgis announced several scheduled collection events at the Public Works facility, 23 Drown Road: a universal waste drop‑off (electronics and e‑waste) on Oct. 11; a bulky‑item drop‑off on Oct. 18; and document shredding and disposal on Oct. 25. He said residents can also bring old recycling bins and trash cans to Public Works between Aug. 22 and Aug. 31.
Councilors asked staff to gather clear, written FAQs about the new program so residents can know which rules come from Casella, which are town policies and what residents can expect in winter. Multiple residents asked whether bag sizes could be changed or consolidated; the town said it would investigate whether different bag options are available and how that would affect the program’s budget and operations.
No formal action was taken; town staff will continue troubleshooting and provide clarifications to residents.
