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Weare leaders debate transfer-station policy, clear-bag rule and scale purchase
Summary
Select Board members and transfer-station staff discussed options to reduce hauling costs, a proposed mandatory clear-bag policy (targeted for Jan. 1, 2027), and procurement of a vehicle scale to track tonnage and permit commercial haulers; no final ordinance change was adopted, and staff proposed a six-month transition period.
Select Board members spent a large portion of the May 18 meeting on solid-waste policy, reviewing hauling costs, commercial-hauler permits, and a proposal to require clear (translucent) trash bags to improve recycling and reduce tipping expenses.
Transfer-station operator Killian (self-identified in the meeting) urged the board to separate scrap metal and plastics as quick revenue options and warned that any policy change requires public education: "If you're gonna implement it, do it January 1 so you can communicate with the public over the next 6 or 7 months," he said.
Board discussion focused on two cost questions: (1) how much municipal hauling expense is attributable to residential users versus permitted commercial haulers, and (2) whether curtailing commercial permits would reduce town hauling costs or simply shift volume elsewhere. Participants cited last year's tonnage (about 2,556 tons) and estimated haul-and-tip costs in the $26,000–$36,000 range for the local contractor portion discussed in the meeting. Members noted those numbers require verification by a planned vehicle scale.
Staff proposed buying a truck scale and operating it from a relocated scale house (using an existing "swap shop" shed), with an operator to weigh permitted haulers and record sticker numbers on arrival and departure. The board heard a tentative six-week lead time for equipment and a suggestion that credit-card payments would introduce fees that might make small-item disposals impractical.
On recycling enforcement, staff recommended mandatory clear bags (or translucent bags) so recyclables are visible and can be separated; they proposed adding a new section to the solid-waste ordinance with a January 1, 2027 effective date and a six-month public-education period before enforcement. The Select Board agreed to continue the conversation, request additional weight and cost data once a scale is in operation, and consider ordinance language and enforcement policies before taking final action.
