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.