Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Acton raises pay-as-you-throw bag prices and bulky-item fees; access stickers unchanged
Summary
Select Board approved modest increases to pay-as-you-throw bag prices and to certain bulky-item fees for FY2026 while keeping access sticker prices the same; at-home compost bins price increased to better reflect town cost.
The Select Board approved recommended changes to the Transfer Station and recycling facility fee schedule for fiscal year 2026 on June 16, 2025.
Budget Manager Ellie Anderson presented recommendations and said the transfer station operating budget rose roughly $78,000 (about an 11.5% increase) year-over-year, chiefly from salary changes tied to collective bargaining, a portion of some staff salaries being moved into the fund, and higher trash disposal costs. To cover operating costs and support ongoing capital and program needs, staff proposed small increases to pay-as-you-throw bag prices and to a few bulky-item fees; access sticker prices would remain unchanged.
If approved, bag rates would shift as follows: 8-gallon bags from $0.60 to $0.65; 15-gallon bags from $1.15 to $1.25; and 33-gallon bags from $2.55 to $2.80. Bulky-item changes included increasing the at-home compost bin price (sold at the Transfer Station) from $25 to $50 to recoup more of the town’s roughly $65 acquisition cost while still providing a discount relative to retail and increasing the mattress disposal fee from $20 to $22 (staff estimated the true disposal cost to be about $22 per mattress).
Board members asked about equity and senior discounts. Anderson provided sales figures showing stickers split between senior and non-senior categories were close (about 2,033 senior stickers, 2,280 non-senior through May), and staff and DPW Director Corey York said the town is studying subsidy designs and that the transfer station subsidy item passed at town meeting would be used to help target relief (for low-income or senior residents) in future program design.
David made the motion to adopt the fee schedule changes; the motion was seconded and passed. The changes take effect July 1, 2025; staff said they will review the program and fees annually.
What it means: Households that use pay-as-you-throw bags will see small per-bag cost increases; the compost bin price change is meant to move the transaction closer to the town’s acquisition cost while still promoting composting.
