Westport trash piles up, with nowhere to go

Westporters who bring their trash to the transfer station this week are in for an unwelcome surprise — the town's three household waste dumpsters are full, there is no room for more trash, and they'll have to turn around and bring it home.

A light at the end of the tunnel will likely appear by next Monday, Nov. 15, however, as the select board on Monday evening voted to move away from its current dumping provider and approved a five-year contract with a new waste management firm. Covanta Sustainable Solutions LLC of West Wareham will start taking trash that day.

"We understand how frustrating it is, the board of health's Tanja Ryden said. "We're doing the best we can under the circumstances and we just ask residents to have patience as we work through this."

What happened?

For years, the town has paid ABC, a New Bedford waste management company, to accept household trash, construction debris and bulky items hauled to its facility by Westport transfer station drivers. The town has worked on a per-ton basis, and had no contract with ABC. Over the past few months, Ryden said, ABC has closed periodically, often without notice, forcing the town to stop hauling for a day or so. Though she does not know exactly why, she has been told ABC's problems are a symptom of a larger statewide trash capacity issue.

"For the most part we can survive one day" of no hauling, Ryden said. This time was different, and she said there was no word early in the week from ABC on when it would be able to resume service.

For weeks, health director Matt Armendo has been researching other facilities that could take Westport waste, and presented the select board Monday evening with a plan to hire a new firm on a permanent basis. The board unanimously approved the new contract with Covanta Sustainable Solutions LLC of West Wareham, which will run through Dec. 31, 2026.

Though Covanta can only accept household waste — no construction debris or bulky items — Ryden said the majority of Westport's hauled waste is household, and the town will address the bulky and construction material issue as soon as possible.

Though the drive to Covanta's West Wareham facility is longer for the town's haulers, "drivers have been having to wait as long as an hour or two" to offload at ABC's New Bedford facility, Ryden said.

Armendo will be in further contact with Covanta this week in hopes of getting the OK to resume trash hauling prior to Monday, Nov. 15. If Westport gets the word that it can start hauling waste earlier, then the town start accepting household trash this weekend at the transfer station, Ryden said.

Cost savings

Even though the contract with Covanta does not allow for the dumping of construction material and bulky items, Ryden said Westport stands to save money under its new five-year pact with the firm.

ABC was charging the town approximately $135 per ton. Under the new contract, Covanta will charge the town $90 per ton through next year, with rates rising slightly in the following years.

Westport dumped 920 tons during the 2020 calendar year.

What's next?

The transfer station is normally closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and this week will also be closed this Thursday due to the Veterans' Day holiday. Hours will resume Friday (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

However, though recycling will still be taken, no trash or bulky items will be accepted. Ryden said she anticipates that the crisis will ease by Monday, and could possibly be over earlier if the town is given the OK to haul its three dumpsters' worth of trash earlier.

"We're hoping for the best," she said.

Drivers needed

The issue is not the only one facing the transfer station, which has been looking for some time for an additional driver with a CDL license. Though the department has been looking for a candidate, Ryden said Tuesday morning that officials have had no luck so far.

"If you know someone with a CDL, send them our way," she said.

In the meantime, the plan is to get a temporary attendant at the transfer station to help fully staff the operation.