Exactly one year ago, a three-month trash strike by Republic Services forced Manchester to rely on reduced services, expanded transfer station hours, and municipal dumpsters. This week, residents are being again asked to prepare for temporary disruptions—this time as part of a planned transition from the Republic to a new vendor, Casella Waste Systems.
The biggest driver of the disruption is a change from manual pick up of curbside waste to automated curbside collection—which uses specialized wheeled carts emptied by new trucks with mechanical lifting arms.
Town Administrator Tony Barletta said the transition to Casella is expected to be completed by September. In the meantime, residents will experience some temporary inconvenience as the new system is implemented.
Details on the temporary schedule for regular trash and recycling service is expected as soon as next week, but as of today, one thing is clear: there will be no curbside trash collection on Monday following the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Barletta said the Black Earth transfer station on upper Pine Street—normally open only Wednesdays and Saturdays—will be open on Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate residents. He also said the town plans to expand its own use of municipal dumpsters, as it did during last summer's strike.
Manchester officially moved from Republic to Casella on July 1 following the expiration of Republic's contract on June 30. The change coincides with the start of the new fiscal year, when municipalities typically begin new service contracts, and marks the beginning of a phased conversion to the automated system.
The temporary disruptions may feel familiar. Beginning in early July 2025, a strike involving Republic Services workers disrupted trash and recycling collection across much of the North Shore for approximately three months.
According to Barletta, that experience fundamentally reshaped the town's priorities as officials prepared to bid a new five-year trash and recycling contract.
The contract locks in annual price increases of 5 percent while, more importantly, it requires Casella to cover any period of uninterrupted service in the event of a labor dispute, equipment failure or other significant disruption. The contract has added teeth, allowing the town to recover any out-of-pocket costs from Casella in the event that the company is unable to cover the disruption.
Barletta said that requirement became the defining issue during the negotiation.
Republic, he said, declined to include such a guarantee in its proposal.
In working out the new service agreement, Manchester was able to “piggyback” off negotiations between Hamilton and Wenham, which already has Casella onboard. Hamilton and Wenham each share the same outside legal counsel with Manchester, which made the process easier.
Casella agreed to the provision and demonstrated an ability to provide regional backup through its growing network of North Shore municipal contracts. In addition to Manchester, Hamilton, and Wenham, the company now serves Beverly, Gloucester, and North Reading, theoretically giving it the ability to shift trucks and personnel among nearby communities should equipment fail or another disruption occur.
These communities are also transitioning to automated curbside pick-up.
For Barletta, the regional approach was a direct response to the challenges exposed during last summer's strike.
Rather than simply changing waste haulers, the town wanted a contractor capable of maintaining service. It also wanted to tap into a broader network of neighboring municipal operations.
Combined with the transition to automated curbside collection, the new contract is intended to improve reliability while reducing the risk of a repeat of last year’s surprise disruption to Manchester residents from another strike.
Wondering how or if your curbside service will be affected during the transition? Check out Manchester.ma.us.
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