The following is the full article quoted from The Falmouth Enterprise published on 5/8/26, pates 1 & 14 pages 1 & 12, entitled, “New Trash Cart Distribution Begins In Falmouth On May 8”.
Board OKs One Extra Container Per Household Through The Summer
(N.B. see below for additional public information sessions.)
Nauset Disposal will begin distributing new automated trash carts to residents on Friday, May 8, marking the start of the town’s transition to a fully automated collection system.
Each household currently receiving curbside service will be issued a 65-gallon wheeled cart with a lid. Deliveries will be handled by a subcontractor, and the initial rollout is expected to take about three weeks, with completion targeted by Memorial Day.
To help residents adjust during the transition, the town will allow a temporary grace period over the summer. During this time, households may set out up to two compliant trash carts per week.
At this week’s Select Board meeting, Town Manager Michael Renshaw said the extra-cart allowance is intended to ease the shift to standardized carts.
“During the summer transition period, residents with excess trash may put out one additional automated, compliant cart per week,” Renshaw said. “After Labor Day 2026, drivers will collect only one official cart per household.”
Collection of unwanted or “retired” resident-owned trash carts will begin after Labor Day.
Residents can request a smaller 35-gallon cart now through Nauset Disposal via the town’s website. Requests for larger 95-gallon carts will open August 3 and will be reserved for households with greater needs, such as larger families.
The change is part of the town’s expanded contract with Nauset, which introduces fully automated trash collection to improve efficiency and worker safety. The standardized carts are designed to keep waste contained and enable automated pickup, a method considered both safer and faster than manual collection.
Curbside service will remain limited to residential waste, and any materials placed outside the carts will not be collected. Residents may repurpose old trash barrels or arrange for recycling through Nauset Disposal, but these containers cannot be placed inside curbside carts for pickup.
The program builds on Falmouth’s transition to automated recycling collection in 2022 and is part of a broader effort to reduce overall trash volume.
The Falmouth Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) and the Department of Public Works will host more public information sessions focused on the new curbside system. The sessions are scheduled for 4 PM on Tuesday, May 12, and at 4 PM and 7 PM on Tuesday, May 26, all held in the Hermann Room of the Falmouth Library at 300 Main Street.
At those meetings, SWAC members will outline Nauset Disposal’s distribution plan, including how each curbside-eligible residence will receive a single 65-gallon cart beginning in mid-May. Officials will also explain how residents can obtain optional 35-gallon or 95-gallon carts, and what the summer transition period will look like in practice.
Town officials are expected to address common questions about overflow trash, including the allowance for one additional compliant cart through Labor Day and the rule that items placed outside approved carts—including loose bags—will not be collected. The sessions will also cover strategies for reducing household waste through expanded recycling, food scrap composting, and use of Falmouth’s Waste Management Facility for bulky or hard-to-recycle materials.
For additional information about the rollout or the public meetings, residents can contact Mary Ryther at mary.ryther@falmouthma.gov or 508-457-2543, extension 3107.