Windham to renew contract with trash bag supplier

The Windham Town Council has approved a
three-year contract extension with the supplier
of the town's trash bags. The contract includes
a 90-day termination clause should the town
move away from its current Pay As You
Throw trash collection system in the next year.
FILE PHOTO

By Ed Pierce 

Members of the Windham Town Council have authorized the town manager to negotiate and approve the extension of a Supplies and Services Agreement with the town’s trash bag supplier, Waste Zero.

At its most recent meeting in July, council members voted unanimously to continue the Waste Zero contract for supply and delivery of the town’s trash bags as well as the invoicing and tracking of revenues associated with them, following a recommendation from Windham town staff. The new contract runs through June 20, 2025.

As part of the town’s Pay As You Throw (PAYT) program under its current system of refuse collection, the town pays a set amount for bags under terms of the Waste Zero contract and then receives proceeds from sale of the bags to the public.

Windham Assistant Town Manager Bob Burns told councilors that although the agreement with Waste Zero runs for three years through June 2025, it does provide a 90-day termination for convenience clause which could be helpful should the council choose to move ahead with changes to Windham’s Solid Waste and Recyclable Collection Program.

In February 2020, Windham entered a three-year contract starting in July 2020 that runs through the end of June 2023 with Pine Tree Waste, Inc. also known as Casella Waste. Under this system, trash and recyclables are manually collected at the roadside which requires a driver and a laborer.

However, Casella Waste does not intend to seek to continue business with the town if the current program is continued because of labor shortages and manpower issues. Casella is advocating for an automated program for Windham consisting of trucks with mechanical arms that lift and dump wheeled carts. 

Burns told councilors earlier this year Casella has incurred rising operational costs and feels this is its only option for refuse collection in future contracts in this region. He said that while Gorham and Gray continue to use a manual collection system like Windham, Westbrook and Scarborough have converted to an automated collection system.

“At our last bid Casella participated, and this collection market has not seen any signs of increased competition since then,” Burns said. “It is unlikely that another bid process will gather any bidders for our current manual collection style program.”

Windham remains in negotiations with Casella regarding a new contract for the town’s trash collection.

In converting to an automated trash collection system and away from a manual operator attendant system, it would mean the end of Windham’s current Pay As You Throw trash bag program where users purchase bags to be picked up by refuse collectors. The town collected about $763,000 in revenue from that system alone in 2021.

Not having the PAYT system would mean losing that revenue and increased tipping fees incurred by the town for EcoMaine if residents place improperly bagged waste items in carts that is picked up when the trash truck operator is unable to see what is in the cart below the top.

Having an automated program in Windham will require effort and manpower from the town to ensure that abuse to the system is limited and not using a PAYT system would discourage aspects of recycling.

Currently Windham trash bags are sold at 15 different locations in town and priced at $13.50 for either ten 13-gallon bags or five 30-gallon bags.

The 2022-2023 Windham town budget which was approved by voters during the Annual Windham Town Meeting in June included specific funding for the purchase of new trash and recycle receptacles and bins for town residents if needed and a new town trash collection system is implemented. <