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Durham Select Board adopts Pay‑As‑You‑Throw bag program, discontinues tags with transition period
Summary
After extended public comment, the Durham Select Board voted unanimously to discontinue trash tags immediately and adopt a Pay‑As‑You‑Throw bag system at $1.80 (13‑gallon) and $3.00 (33‑gallon), with a no‑tags/no‑bags transition period through August 1 to give residents credit for existing tags.
The Durham Select Board voted unanimously on March 9 to adopt a Pay‑As‑You‑Throw (PAYT) bag system for household trash, discontinue the town’s trash tags effective the meeting date, and delay the start of bag enforcement until August 1 to allow residents time to use existing tags.
The board’s motion — moved by the chair and seconded by a board member — set the town price at $1.80 for the 13‑gallon (kitchen) bag and $3.00 for a 33‑gallon bag. Officials said the pricing was chosen not to generate profit but to offset the town’s increased contract costs under a new automated collection contract with Casella and to replace tag revenue. Town staff estimated the PAYT program would produce roughly $120,000 in annual revenue, which would mostly cover a projected contract cost increase of about $80,000 plus the roughly $30,000 currently derived from tag programs.
What residents heard: staff explained Casella will deliver two automated 65‑gallon wheeled bins per household (a recycling bin and a trash bin) the week of April 6. The new automated trucks require closed bins and specific bin designs so collection can be handled by the truck arm. Because automated pickup eliminates the ability to remove a physical tag from a bag at pickup, the town proposed special bags as the new usage token. The proposed vendor for the bags is Waste0 (a vendor that works with about 300 municipalities); Waste0 will stock the town’s color‑coded bags at local retailers so residents can purchase them when they shop.
Residents raised concerns about equity for low‑income and fixed‑income households, winter pickup on private or remote roads, supply and storage logistics (town office space is limited), and enforcement. Several residents asked whether the town could instead roll the $120,000 into the tax rate so households would not need to buy bags; board members repeatedly responded that rolling the cost into taxes is an available option if residents prefer it. Board members also discussed alternatives such as a partial credit for existing tags or a delayed start; ultimately they adopted a five‑month grace period (no tags and no bags through August 1) to give residents time to use tags or purchase bags.
On enforcement, staff said drivers will tag noncompliant bins so they may be skipped on subsequent pickups, and that vendor spot‑checks will verify compliance. The board said more sophisticated AI‑based camera enforcement exists but would be an added expense they wanted to avoid unless compliance became a problem.
What’s next: Casella’s rollout of wheeled bins will proceed; staff will finalize vendor relationships and work with retailers to stock bags in convenient locations (Hannaford, Market Basket, and similar outlets were mentioned). The town will publish detailed instructions and route changes as needed, and a solid‑waste committee will monitor implementation and compliance during the first year.
