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Methuen council hears widespread complaints about E.L. Harvey pickups, considers fines and rebid
Summary
Councilors detailed hundreds of missed pickups and contract violations attributed to E.L. Harvey, citing the vendor's failure to issue required ‘oops’ stickers, wrong‑way driving and unmarked trucks; members pressed for enforcement, potential fines and a rebid of the city's sanitation contract.
Councilors on March 3 sharply questioned the city's oversight of its trash and recycling contractor, E.L. Harvey, after multiple councilors and residents described recurring missed pickups, safety problems and unaddressed contract violations.
Councilor Desaglio outlined contract provisions and fines he said the city is not enforcing, telling colleagues the company had 324 reported non‑pickups since Sept. 1, 2024. He read penalties from the contract, including $500 per day for failing to complete a route by 5 p.m.; $25 per occurrence for failing to attach a noncompliance sticker; $100 per occurrence for failing to immediately pick up waste spilled during collection; $2,000 per day per missing truck when extra equipment is required; and $2,500 per occurrence for use of unmarked collection vehicles.
Multiple councilors reported receiving videos and citizen complaints of trucks driving the wrong way on one‑way streets and of trucks mixing trash and recycling during collection. The mayor said the city had withheld payment where crews were caught on video improperly collecting waste and urged residents to submit evidence so the city could pursue enforcement. "If you have the ability, get us a copy of, like, the video so we can get actually have them," the mayor said.
Council members pressed for concrete enforcement steps. Councilor Desaglio said the city has allowed the contractor “to do whatever they want for 3 years” and said he favored going out for a new vendor; Councilor Cirillo urged the DPW to track and report complaints flagged in the SeeClickFix system so the city can apply contractual fines. Councilors also discussed proposals for a sanitation officer to monitor performance and for rebates or chargebacks to the city if the contractor breaches the contract.
Police and DPW staff said there had been periods early in the contract when trucks were escorted down one‑way streets as a short‑term measure because the contractor lacked properly equipped trucks; the police chief said that practice should not be a long‑term solution and pledged to check whether wrong‑way escorts were still occurring.
No vote on contract termination or rebid occurred at the meeting; several councilors said the matter should be addressed quickly because the contract enters its later months and the council will soon decide whether to extend. The council also removed a paragraph from a separate recycling resolution that would have asked the CAFO to solicit vendor pricing immediately, noting that short procurement timelines would produce unreliable estimates.
The council asked the DPW and police to provide follow‑up information: (1) a list of SeeClickFix complaints and staff findings by route, (2) confirmation whether wrong‑way escorts are still occurring and why, and (3) a legal and fiscal outline of options for fines, rebates and a rebid timeline.
