Windham to make decision soon regarding new trash contract

By Ed Pierce

Members of the Windham Town Council met to discuss the particulars of a new sold waste contract for the town during a workshop on Tuesday evening.

If Windham converts to a new trash collection system,
the town would scrap its longtime system of roadside bins
and having to purchase blue bags to dispose of waste
picked up by refuse collectors and instead use new carts
and an automated system. COURTESY PHOTO

In February 2020, Windham entered a three-year contract starting in July 2020 that runs through June 2023 with Pine Tree Waste, Inc. also known as Casella Waste. Under the current system, trash and recyclables are manually collected at the roadside which requires a driver and a laborer and services about 5,400 stops.

Windham Town Manager Barry Tibbetts told councilors that Casella Waste does not intend to continue business with the town under terms of the current contract because of extended labor shortages and manpower issues. Casella is advocating for an automated program for Windham which consists of using trucks with mechanical arms that lift and dump wheeled carts and fewer laborers are required.

During the workshop Tibbetts and Assistant Windham Town Manager Bob Burns that said if a new trash system is implemented under a new contract, it would mean scrapping the town’s longtime system of roadside bins and having to purchase blue bags to dispose of waste picked up by refuse collectors.

Casella says it has incurred rising operational costs and feels this is its only option for refuse collection in future contracts in this region and according to Tibbetts five other nearby towns are in negotiations with Casella for conversion to an automated collection system at this time. Burns said no other refuse firms have said they are interested in a contract with Windham for solid waste removal.

Scrapping the Pay As You Throw (PAYT) system also would mean losing associated revenue from sales of the blue bags 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. Burns said having an automated program in Windham will require effort and manpower from the town to ensure that abuse to the system is limited.

Tibbetts said a new automated system would require new totes for residents and said that is another issue requiring study because if the town purchases the totes, manpower would be required for tote maintenance as needed. However, Casella could purchase and maintain the totes under negotiated terms of a new contract. Tibbetts said that he and Burns recently met with town managers of five other towns and it might be possible for the towns to pool resources to lower the cost of having to purchase totes for residents if necessary.

The size of the new totes could be determined by the size of the household or amount of trash being generated by a residence, he said.

During the Annual Windham Town Meeting in June, voters approved the town budget which included $600,000 for the purchase of new trash and recycle receptacles and bins for town residents if needed and should a new town trash collection system be implemented.

Burns said a new contract with Casella would be for five years and would come with a three-year extension.

According to Burns, Casella has driven through Windham and is expecting to service about 7,500 stops in the town and will purchase a new 6-wheeled platform truck to access some private roads here.

Councilors Nick Kalogerakis and Brett Jones expressed concerns during the workshop about Casella’s willingness and ability to service private roads in town with the new contract. Councilor Bill Reiner said he thinks Windham needs to be firm on this issue and not let Casella be the primary driver of the terms of a new solid waste contract.

Town Council Chair Jarrod Maxfield said he’s concerned by the logistics of how trash pickup would work for residents of roads Casella won’t go down and roads which could be flowing with trash bins on collection days near the end of the road.

Maxfield said he does believe converting to a new system will take some getting used to, but residents will be happy with getting rid of the town’s blue bags if that’s what eventually happens.

“The devil’s going to be in the details and the logistics of how this is going to work,” he said.

Negotiations with Casella are continuing, and town councilors will take up the issue again once a new contract is presented to them. <