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Westford finishes townwide cart deliveries ahead of pay‑as‑you‑throw launch; hardship supports and compost pilot planned
Summary
Operations staff reported delivery of about 8,000 trash carts and inventory for bags ahead of the July 6 PAYT launch, outlined a hardship assistance program, and announced a compost drop‑off pilot at Abbott and an expansion of textile drop sites.
Town operations staff told the Select Board on June 23 that the town has completed delivery of roughly 8,000 trash carts and is preparing for a July 6 launch of the pay‑as‑you‑throw (PAYT) program.
Operations Chief Mike Edwards said the delivery effort spanned several days and revealed discrepancies in assessor records (ADUs and unit counts) that staff are correcting. The town will perform cleanup work orders next week to adjust deliveries and recover misplaced carts. A municipal inventory of bags is on shelf and vendors and retail partners are listed for ongoing distribution.
Edwards and staff outlined a hardship program for residents and said communications — social media, a dedicated website page, signs and mailed materials — will be stepped up in the days leading to the launch. The town also reported a subscription‑based compost drop‑off pilot with Bootstrap at Abbott and plans to increase textile collection points.
Board members and residents said they already observed many households using the new carts and urged clear, easy online instructions for buying bags and requesting assistance. Staff said a contract amendment to settle vendor payments for bags will follow at a future meeting.
What’s next: final cleanup deliveries, continued outreach and a July 6 program start; staff will present the hardship criteria and contract amendment at upcoming meetings.
