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Tiverton residents press council for more study on automated trash collection and bag-fee changes
Summary
Council discussion of a proposed switch from a red-bag pay-as-you-throw system to automated curbside carts drew extended public comment. Residents and town officials raised questions about contract cost differences, impacts for residents on unpaved roads and the town's unfunded landfill liability.
Tiverton residents and officials pressed the Town Council on March 24 for clearer financial data and implementation plans for proposed changes to the town's trash and recycling program.
Public commenters described practical hurdles to replacing the town—ag program with wheeled carts and asked the council for a citizen survey before any changes. Ron Marsh, a resident of an unpaved-roads neighborhood, told the council that the proposed 65- or 95-gallon wheeled containers "do not fit into an automobile" and said seniors and those who rely on car transport to the road would struggle to comply. "For me and other households, that's a drive of a quarter of a mile in the car," Marsh said.
Dan Darren, who also spoke on trash, questioned whether the automated system was "orders of magnitude" better than the existing system and warned that larger wheeled carts could blow over in high winds and spill contents. He said the existing red-bag system "works" for many residents and urged the council to "keep an open mind." Recreation and other volunteers also raised litter concerns associated with overflowing recycling bins.
An administrator and councilors said the town will start a citizen survey and gather more data before making binding decisions. Council members and staff said the current contracted trash program would cost roughly $1.2 million under the present arrangement and that the proposed automated contract had been estimated at about $1.3 million, a roughly $100,000 difference. One staff speaker said the bag program currently produces about $310,000 in annual revenue for the general fund and that the town's unfunded landfill liability was "approximately $1,400,000".
The administration said automation could yield operational savings because automated trucks reduce manual handling and labor. Councilors said they were open to collecting more resident input and to designing exemptions or alternative pickup arrangements for residents who live on unpaved roads or in small, shared-driveway developments.
Why it matters: Switching refuse-collection models could affect contract costs, household convenience and litter outcomes across Tiverton. Seniors and residents off paved roads said proposed carts would impose an undue burden unless exemptions are developed.
What happens next: Council and administration said they will run a citizen survey and collect detailed cost estimates before pursuing contract changes. No binding vote to change the town's collection model was taken on March 24.
