Council tables decision on Ivory Street recycling center after residents and councilors raise equity and process concerns

The Town of Braintree Town Council voted on June 16 to table Order 2726, which would reduce hours at the Ivory Street recycling center and contemplated a possible permanent closure in January, after councilors and residents raised equity and transparency concerns and the administration said it would collect more data and explore alternatives.

Mayor Joyce and municipal staff described the proposed changes as a budgetary cost‑saving measure tied to the DPW budget. The administration said the recycling center currently accepts many recycling items and up to three bags of household trash per day from sticker holders; the sticker supports the recycling center and the compost program and costs $25. "So far we've collected just about 800 responses on the survey and it's only been live for about a day or two," a member of the mayor’s staff said, adding the administration would track daily counts and evaluate whether to modify the plan.

Councilors pressed the administration on who would be affected. Councilor Bara warned the change would "disproportionately impact the residents and our neighbors who live in multifamily properties" such as Jonathan's Landing, Logan Park, and Grove Manor, which may lack curbside recycling. Councilor Reynolds noted the labor cost to run the center was "less than $100,000" and compared that figure to the town's roughly $182 million fiscal 2027 budget, saying the amount represents less than 1% of the total and urged exploring options to retain service beyond January.

Councilor Flareity criticized how the change was handled through the budget process, saying it should have been surfaced during Ways & Means review and describing the omission as a transparency problem. The mayor and administration said they are open to alternatives and to refining the schedule based on survey results and daily counts.

Multiple residents urged the council to preserve access to recycling for people who cannot receive curbside service. Angela Ness, a condo owner and lifelong resident, told the council multifamily residents "had zero communications whatsoever and opportunities to discuss potential solutions" and warned lines could be long under a reduced schedule. Jean Connelly suggested outreach to multifamily property managers to arrange sticker coverage for tenants. A resident who identified themself as Moren asked that drop‑off days not conflict with curbside pickup days to avoid waste sitting outside in summer heat.

After the public comments and council discussion the council moved to table the item so staff and council committees can pursue alternatives and additional data collection. The motion to table carried unanimously.

Next steps: the administration will continue collecting survey responses, monitor usage counts, and return alternatives to the council for further consideration.