FRAMINGHAM, MA - Framingham Town Meeting Members, (TMM), voted to pass an article which will leave Framingham residents with recycling pick up every other week instead of weekly.

People opposed to new recycling plan offered many reasons why they did not want to see the article pass. Among the complaints; The new containers are too big and some people including elderly and disabled won't be able to push/pull/carry them up their driveway.   Some complained that they won't have room in their shed or garage to store the new size containers, and some even questioned what color the new containers will be, concerned they won't look good left outside.

Others complained that recycle materials sitting around for more than a week will attract bugs, animals and create odor and sanitation problems, ( even though bottles, cans, etc are supposed to be rinsed off before putting in recycle bins).

Passage of the article means a new bi-weekly schedule will be put in effect -- allowing recycling material to be put on the curb every other week, (on regular trash day).

Like most government issues, this is not as simple as proponents of the article expressed.  Those in favor of the article recommend it saying if the trucks don't have pick up at every house, every week, it will cost less.  Well, in a perfect world, maybe...

Many predict that what was sold as a cost cutting plan may end up costing taxpayers more and giving them less [services]. The whole idea of the Town spending anything on recycling, (aside from the good environmental "fringe benefit"), was to save money over the per ton dumping fees the Town pays to dispose of trash.

Opponents argue that if people get confused about which week they are supposed to put out recycle materials, and it starts to pile up, they may decide to just toss those items in the regular trash -- eliminating any savings, (and possibly adding to costs).

Others see the whole article as just a precursor of things to come -- they expect that after the Town spends $800,000.00 to buy new containers, they will ask TM for money next year to buy special truck equipment and hire more DPW workers to do the recycle pickup themselves.

Only time will tell what ends up in the new containers, how much it ends up costing and how good or bad of an idea it was.

What's for sure is we've lost 50% of our recycling pickup days and the "bins" are getting bigger.

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