Town Councilors Push Back on Some Proposed Amendments to the Waste Hauler Bylaw

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Town Council, November 2, 2026

This hybrid meeting was held in Town Hall, broadcast over Zoom, and recorded.

Present

Mandi Jo Hanneke (President, at large), Andy Churchill and Ellisha Walker (at large), Jill Brevik and Cathy Schoen (District 1), Lynn Griesemer and Amber Cano-Martin (District 2), Hala Lord and George Ryan (District 3), Jennifer Taub and Pam Rooney (District 4), Sam MacLeod and Ana Devlin Gauthier (District 5).

Staff: Paul Bockelman (Town Manager) and Athena O’Keeffe (Council Clerk).

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TSO Recommendations for New Waste Hauler Arrangements

Councilor George Ryan presented the recommendations of the Town Services and Outreach (TSO) committee regarding revision of the town’s waste hauler arrangement. Currently, residents can individually contract with USA Waste and Recycling for curbside trash and recycling collection or bring their trash, recycling, and composting to the transfer station for an annual fee. In September of 2024, the Town Council referred the revision of trash pick-up to TSO.

After more than a year of deliberation, TSO is preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to area waste haulers that would indicate the services that the haulers are able to offer and costs of those services in terms of the following conditions:

1. The town would negotiate and contract with a waste hauler or haulers on behalf of residents for collection of household trash, unlimited recyclables, and compostables. 
   
2. The contract would include a robust pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) fee structure. 
   
3. Curbside composting would be made available to all residents.
   
4. The transfer station could remain open, but its role in the waste management program has yet to be determined. 
   
5. The program would be phased in, beginning with single-family and two-, three-, and four-unit properties, expanding to all residential properties within three years. 
   
6. Haulers must provide the town with an annual report on the weight, in tons, of trash, recyclables, and compostables collected within the town. 
   
7. Haulers that dispose of compost locally would receive an advantage in awarding a contract.

Ryan said that about 5,000 households are eligible for the town-contracted services. USA Waste and Recycling currently services 3,200 households. About 2,000 households have transfer station stickers, but about a third of those use the transfer station to supplement weekly trash pick-up by USA. Residents would be able to opt out of the town service, but would need to provide proof of an adequate alternative.

Next steps include developing a draft bylaw, issuing the RFPs, and evaluating responses. The council and the Board of Health will jointly decide whether to proceed with the new system. Town Manager Paul Bockelman said the town can stop the process at any time until a contract is signed. 

Town Councilors Voice Concerns About Proposed Changes

Town councilors voiced concerns about the proposed changes. Cathy Schoen asked when the town will reach out to the public and give residents a chance to ask questions. She also worried about the overflow trash bags on the street, especially in multi-family houses that produce a lot of trash. Lynn Griesemer thought that unless the plan included large apartment complexes, waste would not be reduced much. She also pointed out that many people do backyard composting and don’t need that added service.

Councilor Andy Churchill said that the proposal seemed like it would be “extraordinarily complex to implement, especially the PAYT aspect. He suggested beginning with curbside composting to reduce the waste stream.

Council President Mandi Jo Hanneke said that she was not sure she could support a bylaw for a town-wide contract without knowing the cost to the town. 

Bockelman suggested that the town draft a bylaw but not pass it until the cost is known. Griesemer proposed that the waste hauler provide the PAYT bags and handle all public education and complaints, so town staff is not further burdened.

Ryan agreed that there needed to be education of the public, but said that the council needs to lead. He said of the proposed PAYT and composting program that it has “been shown over and over again that it radically reduces the amount that goes into the waste stream. It increases recycling, decreases trash, increases composting, and has a very substantial, positive environmental impact. It won’t happen overnight. You can think of animals. You can think of houses with college students, but the college students I know actually are serious about the environment and climate change. I am someone who can see what is happening in the larger world, and this is a way we can actually individually and collectively make a difference for the climate and for the community.”

Because the town’s consultant for the waste hauler program is not available for the next six weeks, the RFP will not be submitted until then.

Public Voices Support for PAYT System

Darcy Dumont, representing Zero Waste Amherst, said that, under the current system, those producing little trash subsidize those who produce more, because there is little cost advantage to using a smaller bin or having biweekly trash pick-up. A PAYT system means that those who produce more trash pay more. 

Lydia Vernon-Jones said research shows that with strong public education, the PAYT system can reduce waste substantially. 

Susan Morello supported the PAYT system, curbside composting, and the plan to keep the transfer station open.

Representatives to Advisory Committee for New Regional School Agreement Chosen

The council unanimously chose resident Finance Committee member Cathleen Mitchell to represent Amherst on the four-town committee advising on revisions to the 2008 regional school agreement. Amber Cano-Martin and Lynn Griesemer will represent the council on the committee, and Mandi Jo Hanneke will be the alternate. The Town Manager will make the appointments.