Last week, a large postcard announcing Maynard’s new solid waste and recycling program was mailed to every household with four or fewer units. Instead of placing trash stickers on garbage bags, residents will subscribe annually to the new trash and recycling utility program, which will be billed quarterly as a new line item on the water and sewer utility bill.

To use this program, each household will register and choose between two main subscription plans: bi-weekly trash collection ($15/month) or weekly trash collection ($25/month). Both options are automatically paired with Maynard’s current bi-weekly recycling services; the collection, hauling and sorting/processing of that recycling service is included in the subscription price. Optional $15/month subscriptions are also available for residents who want additional trash or recycling collected. Please note that each condominium association is currently in discussions with the town to decide which collection option will work best for their residents. Registration is open — learn more and register online at TownofMaynard-ma.gov/252/Solid-Waste-Recycling.

Participants will continue to use their current leased recycling cart from E.L. Harvey. The town is leasing new trash carts. When your new trash cart is delivered in late June, you’ll notice it has an RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag. That way, every cart can always find its home and E.L. Harvey will more easily track trash collection throughout town. Each household will also receive an annual registration sticker to confirm that their trash and recycling utility payments are up to date.

If you did not receive the mailer or have been unable to attend one of the town’s first five in-person or online informational sessions, please visit the link above for more details about the program, a list of FAQs and the registration link. If you would like to attend an informational session, the next two will be held May 16 from 2-3 p.m. at the Maynard Public Library, Roosevelt Room, and May 20 from 7-8 p.m. at the Fowler School Auditorium.

Paper registration forms for residents who do not have easy access to computers or the internet are available at the Council on Aging, the Maynard Public Library and the Department of Public Works office in the rear, lower level of Town Hall. The Solid Waste Management Coordinator will also be available in the Trustees Room of the Maynard Public Library from 10 a.m. to noon May 18, 20 and 22 to help residents register, and May 19 and 21 from 4-5:30 p.m. in the same location. Please help by spreading the word to any neighbors who may appreciate assistance with registration.

This new trash and recycling program is necessary for the town to meet the current and future costs of curbside trash, recycling and yard waste collection and the steep hauling, tipping and processing costs associated with managing our trash and recycling. Those costs have been rising 15-25% every three to five years. In Fiscal Year 2027, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, trash and recycling services will cost the town $1,560,400.

This utility program lays the foundation for a financially and environmentally sustainable trash and recycling utility for the town of Maynard. To cover Maynard’s actual trash and recycling costs, the program was designed to have each individual Maynard household subscribe. Once the rollout has launched and is running smoothly, the focus will shift to additional environmentally sustainable efforts such as composting, and continuing to encourage all residents to reduce, reuse and recycle in order to reduce costs and reach Massachusetts’ goal of reducing solid waste by 90% by 2050.

What should you do now to prepare?

First, register for the program as soon as possible. Go to TownofMaynard-ma.gov/252/Solid-Waste-Recycling for the online registration form. If you prefer a paper form, drop your completed form in the sealed collection box at the library, give it to Pat or Amy at the Council on Aging, or to DPW team members at Town Hall.

Second, only buy the amount of trash stickers you will need between now and June 30, 2026. That will prevent you from having leftover stickers.

Third, throughout June and July, check the town of Maynard website weekly at townofmaynard-ma.gov for important notices about time-sensitive items including:

• Picking up your annual registration sticker for the new trash and recycling utility program
• Updates on when your 35-gallon trash cart will be delivered
• The official dates the new program will start in July
• “Swap Days” when you’ll be able to trade remaining $2 or $4 trash stickers for $8 orange overflow trash bags
• “Old Cart Weeks” in July or August when you’ll be able to drop off clean trash barrels or carts you are no longer using. The town will recycle them. Consider reusing old carts in your yard or offering them for sale or for free on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or the “Everything is Free Stow/Maynard” Facebook group before opting for recycling.

While the town of Maynard Facebook page and Hyper-Reach Alerts will also be used to communicate updates, the town website and the DPW’s Solid Waste Management and Recycling page are the best places to find the most up-to-date and accurate information about the program, including dates and times of live information sessions. Important information will continue to be shared in the Maynard Voice and other online and print publications as well.