Medford officials get an earful about reduction in trash pickup

From one resident saying, “This is the future of our country,” to another asking, “How do we stop this train before it leaves the station,” Medford residents weighed in last night about the city’s planned change to every-other-week trash pickup starting in 2027.

During a two-hour listening session held by city officials via Zoom, many residents said they were worried about overflowing trash bins, increased rodent activity, and the smell of non-compostable and non-recyclable items sitting in bins for two weeks.

On the other hand, some residents said they approve of the bi-weekly pickup in conjunction with free curbside composting and thanked the city for its overall waste-reduction programming.

The session began with a short presentation by officials discussing the benefits of that programming. Along with the introduction in 2024 of curbside composting, the expansion of yard waste/leaf collection, and having businesses recycle, they said, bi-weekly pickup will reduce costs (an estimated $13 million in total savings over eight years), improve air quality, result in a cleaner recycling stream, reduce damage to streets from heavy vehicles, and advance the city’s overall climate goals.

In her remarks, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said, “It’s clear there’s some anger and frustration out there. That’s understandable.” However, she said, the city wants to hear residents’ concerns and suggestions about the bi-weekly schedule and wants to address those issues.

And, feedback they received. About 45 minutes into the session, there were a total of 198 participants, including any speakers who were still in the meeting. DPW Commissioner Tim McGivern guided the meeting with the help of Alicia Hunt, who is the city’s director of Planning, Development, and Sustainability.

Overflowing bins, foul odors, more rats

Among residents’ concerns are overflowing trash bins and foul odors from soiled diapers, meat wrappers, and pet waste sitting in trash bins for two weeks. Many said they worry this will exacerbate current rat infestations, while others said it will create rat problems in new areas.

One resident said, “It feels like it’s rat-central in South Medford.”

Another resident said he keeps hearing the bi-weekly pickup is still “a year away.” “I’ve got one year without a rat problem and then many years with a rat problem.”

Milva McDonald said she does not see the changes as a reduction in services. With the addition of the residential compost program, she said, it’s an overall positive. She also said she raised four children at home but still never filled her trash bin. She said was one of several residents who thanked the city for creating waste-reduction programs, and she said she is glad the city is listening and working to address issues.

Prabitha Natarajan, the Medford resident who said, “This is the future of our country,” said composting has reduced her trash, and she said she has big dogs’ and does not have any issues handling their waste.

Patty Caya, who said, “How do we stop this train before it leaves the station,” said, “The city is trying to educate us into submission.”

Residents understand the problem, she said, but they think the city is offering the wrong solution.

“Reducing the pickup schedule should be the last thing you do, not the first thing,” she said.

Other concerns

Illegal dumping is already an issue in Medford, some said, and the move to every-other-week pickup will just make it worse. Some asked, who will be liable for tenants of absentee landlords who do not care about overflowing trash?

Some framed the reduction in pickup as an equity issue. Large families will be penalized by having to rent an additional trash bin, they said, and seniors will be penalized because of the packaging of medications and their use of incontinence products. One asked, how will seniors haul a much heavier bin to the curb?

Several residents brought up the issue of the city forcing residents to reduce their trash while not addressing the fact that most food is packaged in some form of plastic, including Styrofoam and soft plastics that are not recyclable. One resident said, “We can't compost our way out of this.”

Some residents asked who will see the savings from the reduction in trash pickup. Homeowner taxes keep going up while services are cut, some said.

What happens next

McGivern said the city will use residents’ feedback to update the “frequently asked questions” on the website, and there will be an in-person meeting on January 28 to discuss these issues.

In the meantime, residents can watch the recording of this meeting on the city’s YouTube channel, fill out the feedback form, or send comments and/or questions by email to waste@medford-ma.gov.