Below are 2 entire articles from the 4/24/25 Falmouth Enterprise regarding the new trash carts: “Falmouth’s New Trash Carts To Roll Out By Mid-May” from page 1 and “Solid Waste Group To Discuss Rollout Of New Trash Cart Plan” from page 9.
From the end of the page 1 article: For residents who wish to learn more about the upcoming changes, two information sessions focusing on the rollout of new curbside trash carts will be hosted by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Department of Public Works at 4 PM and 7 PM on Monday, April 27. The sessions will take place in the Hermann Room of the Falmouth Public Library Main Street Branch.
“Falmouth’s New Trash Carts To Roll Out By Mid-May”
Standardized trash carts from Nauset Disposal are expected to be delivered to eligible residents by mid-May, following the town’s approval of a five-year extension of its waste-hauling contract. The current contract had been set to expire in June 2027, and the extension will expand the town’s cart-based system—introduced for recycling in 2022—to include trash collection, creating a fully automated and uniform program.
The town first rolled out wheeled recycling carts in 2022, funded at the November 2021 Town Meeting. Those carts are already compatible with automated pickup systems now used across the community.
At an informational session held on Wednesday, April 22, at the Senior Center, town officials and Nauset representatives outlined plans for the new trash carts and shared information about how residents can better reduce their trash volume.
Under the contract, all current and future customers will receive a 64-gallon trash cart as the standard option. Residents will have the ability to request a smaller 32-gallon cart or a larger 95-gallon version based on household needs, though Falmouth Recycling and Solid Waste coordinator Mary B. Ryther said a mechanism for requesting a smaller or larger cart has not been determined yet.
Nauset representative Amaro Neto said the process for delivering the new carts will take about two weeks.
A significant change for residents involves how trash is set out for collection. Any trash put out in bags, multiple containers or oversized items left next to the new carts will not be collected by Nauset Disposal. Residents will start with one cart per household, and any trash left outside of the bins will not be picked up, Ryther said. Overflow bags can instead be brought to the waste management facility and disposed of for $2.50 per bag.
To help reduce trash volume, the town will also pursue expanding initiatives such as composting food scraps and plans to host special events for residents to drop off bulky or hard-to-recycle materials at Falmouth’s waste management facility. The new contract with Nauset also allows the town to add services such as curbside composting during the five-year term without reopening the full agreement.
Solid Waste Advisory Committee chairman Richard Merrick said all the new carts and the town’s efforts to reduce the amount of trash residents toss out are motivated by the state’s mandate that the town reduce its trash by 30% by 2030. Merrick said the town is making progress and has made about a 15% reduction in trash so far. Officials have also noted that food waste accounts for roughly one-third of the town’s trash stream, making composting a key focus moving forward.
Neto said the new trash carts will help keep drivers safe and will help protect trash haulers from injury. As a former driver, Neto said standardized carts will make the job of collecting trash less physically demanding and will reduce the trash that may escape the bin as litter onto the road. He said switching to standardized carts with secure lids will also reduce issues with pests.
One of the biggest changes for residents will be a shift in responsibility for cart upkeep.
Under the new agreement, all carts—both trash and recycling—will be owned, maintained, serviced and replaced by Nauset Disposal, Ryther said, not the DPW. Currently, the Department of Public Works handles recycling cart maintenance, and officials have said repairs are frequent due to wear and damage during automated pickup. Moving that responsibility to the contractor is expected to improve efficiency and free up public works crews for other priorities. Ryther added that a colleague of hers spends Fridays, every week, managing requests for residential trash cart repair.
The rollout is expected to affect nearly every household in town. Earlier estimates placed the cost of purchasing roughly 22,000 carts at about $1.2 million, though negotiations reduced that figure significantly to about $300,000. Under the agreement, the contractor will cover 75% of the cost, with the town paying the remaining 25%. The contract also includes a provision allowing the town to purchase the carts at a prorated price if the agreement ends early or if the town switches haulers in the future.
At the information session, resident questions focused on what materials are recyclable, what materials are compostable, and where those materials can be diverted from the trash. Ryther and Merrick both emphasized the importance of utilizing the town’s existing recycling programs, the Swap Shop, the Fix-it Clinic, and collection events for materials like Styrofoam and latex paint. Expanding compost collection of food scraps will be an important next step to reduce solid waste in the near future, Merrick said. Food scrap compost bins are also accessible for free at the School Administration Building, East Falmouth Elementary and at the waste management facility.
For residents who wish to learn more about the upcoming changes, two information sessions focusing on the rollout of new curbside trash carts will be hosted by the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Department of Public Works at 4 PM and 7 PM on Monday, April 27. The sessions will take place in the Hermann Room of the Falmouth Public Library Main Street Branch.
“Solid Waste Group To Discuss Rollout Of New Trash Cart Plan”
Falmouth Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Department of Public Works will host two information sessions focusing on the town-wide rollout of new curbside trash carts on Monday, April 27, at 4 PM and also at 7 PM in the Hermann Room of the Falmouth Main Library, 300 Main Street.
Members of SWAC and DPW staff will present Nauset Disposal’s plans for distributing a single 65-gallon trash cart to each of Falmouth’s curbside-eligible residences starting mid-May. These standardized carts are meant to encourage greater use of existing recycling carts and more composting of food waste, keep trash better contained, reduce roadside litter and discourage pests from destroying trash. These new carts will also enable Nauset Disposal to initiate automated trash collection, same as Falmouth’s curbside recycling, making collection easier and safer for drivers.
They will discuss what the changes will mean for residents who currently put out trash in bags or in multiple containers or leave oversize objects next to their trash carts. They will also explain how residents may request a different size cart and discuss strategies to reduce trash volume, including compost of food scraps, and drop-off of bulky and hard-to-recycle materials at special events or at Falmouth’s Waste Management Facility.