Waste Management begins curbside trash and recycling collection in Dover July 1

posted on: 6/27/2020

Beginning on Wednesday, July 1, Waste Management, the city's new recycling and curbside solid waste vendor, will begin its five-year contract with the City of Dover. The City Council approved the new contract in February, following a five-year contract with Pinard Waste Services.

"After an extensive review process, the City is excited to welcome Waste Management as its selected vendor for solid waste and recycling collection services," said Community Services Director John Storer. "Although residents will see Waste Management vehicles beginning July 1, very little will change with curbside collection of solid waste and recycling."

For most residents and businesses, collection routes and days will remain the same, Storer said.

"There may be adjustments on some streets as Waste Management refines its collection process, but the company is determined to make the transition as seamless as possible," Storer added.

Waste Management will continue to collect curbside solid waste in City of Dover trash bags. Other trash bags will not be accepted. Although the cost of Dover trash bags will increase after July 1, bags purchased before July 1 will still be accepted. Beginning July 1, the retail price of City of Dover trash bags will be approximately $2.34 per 15-gallon bag and $3.91 per 30-gallon bag.

All non-metal items too large to fit in a Dover trash bag, such as furniture, mattresses, toilets and carpets, will still require a bulky item tag. Bulky item tags can be purchased at the City Clerk’s Office, the Community Services facility on Mast Road, the Recycling Center and at most locations where city trash bags are sold. The cost of bulky item tags will increase to approximately $10 on July 1.

Although pick-up routes will mostly remain the same, there will be new restrictions on what types of plastics can be recycled. Beginning on July 1, only #1, #2 and #5 plastics will be accepted. Some of the plastics that will not be accepted to recycle include plastic bags, plastic utensils, straws, plastic wrap, tarps, colored cups. Recycling bins that contain nonrecyclable items may not be picked up or flagged with a warning sticker. In addition, recycling contamination can drive up the cost to the city and send affected recycling to a landfill. For a complete list of what goes in and what stays out of your recycling bin, see www.RecycleSmartMA.org.

"The state of single-stream recycling has changed on a global basis," Storer said. "There is a dwindling market for single-stream recycling, so in order to keep to keep recycling fiscally viable, we need cooperation from residents in what gets placed for collection."

Recycling accounts for $600,000 of the $1 million increase in the city's new contract with Waste Management.

One way to help reduce the amount of nonrecyclable plastics is to avoid single-use plastics. Last year, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling for the voluntary reduction in the use and distribution of non-biodegradable, single-use plastics.

All trash and recycling should still be placed curbside by 7 a.m. on the designated collection day or as early as 4 p.m. the day before.

Curbside trash and recycling pick-up will follow the existing holiday schedule. Collection during a holiday week will be delayed by one day for the remainder of the week beginning on the holiday. For a list of holidays, see the city's website here: https://go.usa.gov/xwApG.

For more information, contact Community Services at 516-6450.