WESTFIELD – For city residents who use the Twiss Street Transfer Station to dump their household garbage, starting June 1, the city will require residents to use a specific type of plastic bag, which has a cost, as part of regulations for the station approved by the Board of Health on Wednesday.
“The cost of the bags is to make it more equal for those who use curbside service for those who use the transfer station,” said Debra Mulvenna about the new program called “Pay-As-You-Throw.”
Included in the regulations was a provision that requires every resident who throws away household trash to purchase and use orange bags that will come in five-bag rolls in two sizes: 33-gallon bags for $15 and 15-gallon bags for $7.50.
Because the program was just approved, places where residents would be able to purchase the bags are unknown. Big Y’s two locations currently sell transfer station stickers and stickers for disposing of bulk items like furniture, carpet and mattresses.
Plans are for the bags to be available for sale at the city’s grocery stores and perhaps a hardware store.
The bags are expected to be available for sale in three months.
Mulvenna said the new regulations are also a way to encourage residents to recycle, which is required anyway, for anyone who uses the transfer station.
Removing recyclables from the household waste stream also lowers what the city pays each year to have its trash hauled to a waste processing facility, like a landfill.
Currently, the city pays $118 per ton, which doesn’t include hauling costs.
Last year, the transfer station had nearly 760 tons of municipal waste hauled away, and that doesn’t include what is picked up curbside.
The Board of Health began discussing the transfer station regulations after Mulvenna said that, despite her best efforts, she couldn’t find out if there had ever been any regulations for it.
Not having documented regulations occasionally created issues for residents using the station because if an transfer station employee told a resident they couldn’t use it to throw away a particular item, they couldn’t refer the resident to the regulations.
That will alleviate that issue, she said.
“It is to make sure the operations of the transfer station run efficiently,” Mulvenna said.
But the overarching reason for the new regulations was to protect the transfer station staff and city residents.
Transfer Station Rules and Regulations:
Proof of residency – driver’s license, state ID, tax or utility bill – is required to use the station.
All vehicles must have a sticker affixed to the back of their rearview mirror, but no permit is needed if dropping off grass clippings or leaves.
No walk ins.
All household trash must be in a city-approved bag and tied before disposal. No loose trash, other than bulk items, will be accepted.
Bags are one-time-use only and cannot be dumped into the container and reused.
All residents using the facility should be able to do so on their own. If not, residents should bring someone to help them.
Trash disposal of any kind outside the posted operating hours – 7 a.m.-2:45 p.m., Monday-Saturday – is not permitted. Non-acceptable materials left behind and after hours are illegal.
Foul language, gestures or honking of horns will not be tolerated.
Scavenging, salvaging, or removal of any materials from this site is prohibited.
All children under the age of 12 and pets must remain in the vehicle.
Materials that are not accepted at the station are construction, demolition, or commercial waste, household hazardous products like tile, toilet, counter or window cleaners, and tree branches, brush or wood.
While most of these rules are already in effect, on June 1, use of the orange bags will be required.
For more information, call the station at 413-568-1159, the Health Department at 413-572-6210 or visit Recycling Program & Twiss Street Transfer Station.
