On July 1, waste collection workers at Republic Services, one of the largest waste management companies in the country, went on strike in Massachusetts, leaving communities across the state grappling with overflowing dumpsters. The strike is now in its fifth week.
On July 10, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and Director of Sustainable Materials Management Waneta Trabert announced that the City would temporarily accept waste from the approximately 180 Newton property owners who contract with Republic Services in order to avoid a potential public health emergency. Under the program, property owners are permitted to bring trash to the City’s Resource Recovery Center for a $100 payment per vehicle trip until the end of the strike.
In a statement to Fig City News, Trabert said that the City had to work across departments, from the Department of Public Works (DPW) to the IT department to the Mayor’s communications team, to get the program up and running quickly. She explained,
“Because the City’s Resource Recovery Center is permitted as a transfer station, DPW had the flexibility to add this service at our site on Rumford Avenue with a temporary policy change. Coordination was needed with our online payment provider to create an online payment process for the fee set for this temporary service. The online payment provider was able to set this up within 24 hours. Communication to the community about this temporary service was coordinated with the Mayor’s office and our IT department, and it went out in the Mayor’s Update and was posted on our website.”
Charles River Regional Chamber responds
President and CEO of the Charles River Chamber of Commerce Greg Reibman said that while he greatly appreciated quick action from the Mayor’s office, the customers of Republic Services continue to face significant hurdles in disposing of their waste.
“It’s a great help, and I recognize that it’s what the City can do right now, but there are a couple of problems with it,” he said. “One is, restaurants want to be able to provide great service to their customers. They want to be preparing great meals. They don’t want to be dragging trash off to Rumford Avenue. But unfortunately, that’s an additional thing that they have to think about now, on top of all the challenges that restaurants are facing.”
Additionally, Republic Services customers may struggle with disposing of waste already in their dumpsters and paying the fee necessary to participate in the City’s program, Reibman said.
“These dumpsters have been full since before the Fourth of July. Nobody can get into a dumpster except for those big trucks that pick them up and empty them. So the dumpsters are sitting full, and at best, all that people can do is bring their new trash to Rumford Avenue. The old trash is still sitting in the dumpster, rotting and smelling and causing problems for everybody,” he said. “In addition to those two things, it’s also expensive for restaurants. If you have a small car, $100 a load is going to add up quickly, and a lot of restaurants don’t have a truck or van, so we are concerned about the cost.”
A tally of results
On July 15, five days after the program was first announced, a DPW employee, who requested to remain anonymous, told Fig City News that he had observed few Republic Services customers taking advantage of the City’s program. In total, he said that he had observed fewer than 10 property owners dropping off trash at the Resource Recovery Center.
One week later, on July 12, another DPW employee said that little had changed. “They had three [trash drop-offs] the other day, maybe two on the weekend,” he said. “It hasn’t really been that much.”
Trabert said that as of July 28, the City has had 18 transactions for 13 properties using the service since its launch.
Exploring alternatives
Some local businesses have explored alternative ways of disposing of their waste.
In a July 15 post to social media, Newton Centre restaurant Johnny’s Luncheonette shared its method for addressing the trash crisis: a partnership with curbside compost service Black Earth Compost.
“Times like these remind us why sustainable practices matter. When traditional waste systems are disrupted, composting keeps our organic waste flowing in the right direction — back to the Earth,” the post read.
On the same day, management at Dellaria Salons in Newton Centre posted on the NextDoor app a request for trash pickup from “someone with a truck.”
State and Federal officials express concern
The waste collection crisis has also been addressed by state and federal leadership. A July 11 letter to Republic Services President Jon Vander Ark, signed by State Representatives John Lawn (10th Middlesex) and Amy Mah Sangiolo (11th Middlesex), who represent parts of Newton, expressed “disappointment” in Republic Services’ failure to meet “basic community standards.” The letter said in part,
“It is deeply troubling that your employees have been left with no choice but to strike to demand fair compensation, an outcome that was entirely avoidable had Republic Services chosen to negotiate in good faith. The resulting disruption in trash and recycling collection affects thousands of households and businesses that rely on these vital services.”
In a July 18 letter to Vander Ark, State Representative Greg Schwartz (12th Middlesex), who represents parts of Newton, also expressed concern about the strike.
“As some of the entities are food establishments producing food waste, there is potential for public health consequences if trash pickup does not resume, particularly in the heat of summer, which exacerbates pest infestation,” the letter said in part. “I am concerned that, despite multiple meetings, it appears Republic Services has failed to meet basic community standards regarding fair wages, comprehensive health and welfare benefits, reasonable working conditions, and adequate paid time off.”
In a July 25 letter signed by representatives from all nine Massachusetts congressional districts — including Representative Jake Auchincloss, whose district includes Newton — federal lawmakers urged Vander Ark to prioritize scheduling future negotiation sessions.
“We are concerned about the lack of scheduled negotiation sessions, and we strongly urge you to return to the bargaining table in good faith and without delay, to negotiate a contract that reflects the dignity of this work, one that ensures fair pay, quality benefits, and a safe workplace,” the letter said in part.
Currently, no future negotiation sessions are scheduled between Republic Services and Teamsters Local 25, the union representing the striking waste collection workers.
[UPDATE] On August 8, Reibman wrote in a Chamber newsletter that the Chamber had been working with Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office to assist commercial Republic Service customers experiencing issues with solid waste pickup. Republic Services, he said, had informed the Attorney General’s office that the company is now covering most service routes. Republic Services has also established an email address for its customers to file concerns and get a response.
Republic Services will post further updates on a page of its website dedicated to keeping customers informed about service in the Boston area. The latest update echoed Reibman’s statement and noted that many customers are on a modified service schedule.
Theo Younkin is this summer’s Fig City News managing student intern, a rising senior at Newton South High School, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the NSHS Lion’s Roar.
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