Westford voters keep pay-as-you-throw startup funding after heated debate

Town Meeting in Westford voted to approve a package of supplemental FY26 appropriations Friday that included $150,000 to cover start-up costs for a planned pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) hybrid trash program.

The $150,000 line item was the focus of the most contested exchange of the morning, with Dennis Galvin, a finance committee member, moving to delete the waste-disposal appropriation on the grounds that the 35-gallon cart model "is overly burdensome on larger families," and that pay-as-you-throw could prompt unlawful dumping. "That is going to accumulate over the time of one year about $145 extra cost that some people are going to have to pay," Galvin said during debate.

Supporters pushed back. Sue Thomas, a longtime recycling commission member and sustainability coordinator, told the meeting that the change reflects market realities around waste collection and contractor bids: "We will only get large vendors offering automatic collection ... This is the cheapest price we're going to get for those totes. If we don't get those totes, we're not going to have curbside trash collection because we won't have a bidder." Select Board Chair Tom Clay framed the issue as fiscal: trash costs have risen faster than the town budget and the PAYT program would help slow cost growth.

After extended discussion the amendment to remove the $150,000 failed in a clicker vote, 268 yes to 130 no. The full first motion under Article Two'1, which bundled the snow/ice, waste-disposal and insurance supplements and totaled $1,165,000 from free cash, then passed 296 yes to 106 no.

Town officials said the appropriation would cover initial cart purchases and overflow bags; the town is pursuing a MassDEP implementation grant that is expected to fund about 70% of the initial carts and accessories if the town purchases 35-gallon carts. Town staff also described contingency plans if the appropriation were not approved, including reserve fund transfers and later budget transfers, but warned that delay could increase costs.

What happens next: the town will proceed with procurement and cart distribution planning. The larger PAYT rollout and any additional policy questions (including a citizen petition later on the warrant) will return to the meeting floor as required.