Town Administrator Nick Connors presented an overview of the new trash contract to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee on Monday, sharing that the town will be moving forward with a fully automated pickup system.

“There’s going to be a learning curve obviously,” Connors said. “We’re going to have to be in regular communication with folks at Republic.”

Swampscott’s contract with Republic Services expires July 1. Under the current contract, Swampscott pays $1.1 million for Republic Services’ work, along with tipping fees of $108 per ton for trash disposal and $85 per ton for recycling, according to Department of Public Works Director Gino Cresta.

The new five-year contract with Republic will take effect July 1, though the rollout of the new recycling system could be delayed by up to a month.

Instead of using multiple types of recycling bins, the town will transition to standardized carts compatible with automated collection trucks. Trash will be automated at the beginning of the new contract, Connors said.

Automated collection has become the industry standard for waste and recycling services. It allows the hauler to collect trash and recycling with a mechanical arm that lifts and empties the bins. 

“In our case, for every month that we kept it manual for a year, it was going to be across the board $475,000 to $480,000 more,” Connors said. “It’s just not something that’s sustainable, and that’s part of why we’re making this transition.”

Town Meeting members voted to transfer $330,000 from free cash to fund the purchase of recycling carts during the current fiscal year. During consideration of Article No. 4, Town Meeting members also approved an amended appropriation tied to the upcoming recycling contract.

“When we put it all together it’s a much more expensive contract,” Connors said, noting that it has to do with the expenses from automation and recycling.

According to the town’s website, the new system is expected to improve worker safety and service consistency while reducing litter and keeping streets cleaner.

In addition to the current 35-gallon trash carts, the town will provide to each eligible household a 95-gallon recycling bin. Information on when the carts will be delivered to the households will be provided by the town soon.

Services will continue weekly, and yard waste collection will still be seven weeks in the year, according to Connors.

Many residents have brought up the concern of occasionally needing more space for trash and recycling. Connors said households can continue to purchase additional blue bags that can be placed on top of their trash carts. For recycling, breaking down cardboard may be helpful.

“The opportunity to pay for an additional trash cart should certainly be on the table,” Connors said. 

The Solid Waste Advisory Committee and Connors also suggested a recycling bin could be placed at the Department of Public Waste Yard, allowing residents to drop off additional recycling during work hours. Officials expressed concern that recycling could become contaminated with trash, potentially increasing costs for the town.

“For the first time, Swampscott’s never had a measurable contamination level to which we were held accountable to, but that would change,” said Select Board Member and former Solid Waste Advisory Committee Chair Wayne Spritz.

A forum will be held on Monday, June 15 at the high school. It will include a presentation as well as a question and answer period.

Updated June 10 and 11:30 a.m. to clarify residents are not receiving new trash bins