Maynard Select Board Approves Cart-Based Solid Waste Program Starting July 1

MAYNARD — April 22, 2026 — Maynard Select Board unanimously launches cart-based solid waste enterprise fund with rates effective July 1. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to approve a new solid waste and recycling program model and rate schedule developed over three years by a town task force, with weekly 35-gallon cart service priced at $300 annually and every-other-week service at $180. The Board of Health, which holds statutory rate-setting authority under town bylaw, voted 2-0-1 to approve the same measures, with member Maura abstaining and citing insufficient time to deliberate. Chair David Gavin called the governance arrangement "concerning," arguing the Select Board — not an appointed body — should control future rate setting, and said he would push to change the town bylaw. DPW Director Justin DeMarco warned that the program carries only a 2 percent financial contingency and that a $210,000 free cash reserve would serve as a backstop if enrollment in the new opt-in program falls short of projections based on roughly 4,300 eligible households. The board also tabled a Local Initiative Program application benefiting developer Jimmy McDonald's 1 Summer Street project, with Gavin citing McDonald's failure to complete an unfinished promenade at a separate Maynard Crossing development despite permits issued since approximately September 2024.