Plaistow narrows five-year trash-and-recycling bids to Waste Management and Cassella

The Plaistow Board of Selectmen reviewed competing proposals on Jan. 5 for a five-year trash-and-recycling contract that would begin Jan. 1, 2027, and agreed to narrow the field to two finalists: Waste Management and Cassella.

Staff presented a proposal matrix comparing four respondents — Waste Management, Cassella, Republic and G Melo — and showed that Waste Management and Cassella submitted lower base contract estimates, roughly $3.5–$3.6 million over five years, while Republic and G Melo were closer to $5 million. Board members discussed how disposal tonnage and optional services would affect total cost.

The board and staff said the RFP assumed weekly solid-waste collection and biweekly recycling by default, with an alternate bid for weekly recycling. Disposal tonnage was estimated at about 3,000 tons annually; under the Waste Management numbers presented, year‑one disposal costs were shown at roughly $297,000 (about $99 per ton), rising to an estimated $361,000 by year five under the proposal’s escalation assumptions.

Board members discussed tradeoffs including bulk pickup frequency, transfer-station tonnage charges, and whether to transfer cart repair and replacement responsibility to the carrier. The board also noted Cassella’s mattress-recycling program and the operational difference that Cassella would collect on a four-day route versus a five-day route for others.

After discussing pricing and service options, the board agreed to invite Waste Management and Cassella to a future meeting for questions and clarification and to give the public and the board time to submit written questions in advance of those vendor presentations.

Next steps: staff will try to schedule both companies for the next meeting or the Jan. 26 meeting if necessary, and board members will prepare and submit questions in writing to ensure vendors can respond when they appear.