Less trash, more recycling

Mayor Carlo DeMaria Jr. recently unveiled a series of proposed changes to the city’s trash and recycling collection program. The plan is aimed at lowering Everett’s trash disposal costs by increasing the volume of recycling, and helping to reduce the amount of trash that ends up as litter on neighborhood streets. DeMaria recently held a public meeting on the plan to begin gathering public feedback. Modeled on the system used in Medford, the plan calls for each residential household and business to be provided with a single, 64-gallon, wheeled container to replace their own trash bins. Households and businesses would be required to fit all their trash within the container provided, or lease an additional container at a cost of $150 per year. Recycling collection, meanwhile, would occur weekly, up from every other week, using the existing Recyclebank bins. The plan, which is still being finalized, requires approval from the City Services Commission. - John Laidler