After significant debate at the annual town meeting, voters agreed by secret-ballot vote to allow Westmoreland to implement a pay-as-you-throw program for waste disposal. The start date for the program, which residents approved 104-71, is to be determined.
Several residents expressed concerns about the new pay-as-you-throw program at the recycling center, which voters agreed to spend $8,500 to implement. Under the current system, people who dispose of waste at the town transfer station pay $25 for the year. The new program will charge users per bag, $2 per 33-gallon bag and $1 for a 15-gallon bag.
The purpose of the program is twofold: to reduce losses at the transfer station, which runs a significant deficit each year, and to encourage recycling, McGahie said. He noted that lots of items that can be recycled get thrown away, but that this program is a way to encourage more of those items to be recycled or composted. Recycling is free.