Radioactive waste, ballooning mattress disposal costs and more are all factors behind newly-approved solid waste changes in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Following months of votes, subcommittee meetings and debate, Springfield's city council approved significant changes to its Code of Ordinances on Monday, Nov. 25 - specifically, chapter 327: Solid Waste.
Going before the council in September, Department of Public Works Director Chris Cignoli introduced the proposed amendments – with changes to the chapter spread out amongst about 40 pages.
Some were minor, including amendments spelling out how automated containers need to be at least five feet away from fences and utility poles instead of three, and if a weight limit's exceeded or the bin cover does not close, it can't be collected.
It also addressed an issue of some code sections dealing with fines being blank, updating a number of fine figures to $250.
There were also some big ticket items, such as the cost of disposing a mattress effectively doubling.
“We are now required to recycle mattresses. In the city of Springfield, for at least for 15 years, the average amount of mattresses we collected in the city was about 2,500,” Cignoli explained during the city council meeting on Sept. 16. “Since the law has gone into effect, we are collecting over 7,500 mattresses in the city, and it is my opinion that a majority of those are coming from out of town.”
Springfield uses a sticker system for disposing certain items and it’s previously been $8 for mattresses. Under the rule change, two stickers will be required, totaling $16.
The fee is still significantly lower than surrounding communities like Wilbraham's $40 and Ludlow's $65, Cignoli tells WAMC. He says the increase was needed as the city continued to see significant losses on mattress disposal costs.
In addition to the costs of new disposal procedures, one of the other big factors, Cignoli suggests, are property management companies taking advantage of Springfield's low fees after state recycling regulations went into effect in late 2022.
“The average homeowner who might have one or two mattresses - a mattress or a box spring - I get it,” he said in an interview with WAMC. “Now, you’re starting to see these multifamily homes - specifically multifamily, for the most part – [we’re] getting requests to pick up 15 or 20 of them and, then you do some research and you find out that this is a property management company that has places all over the Springfield area, not necessarily in Springfield, and in some cases, we were dealing with [requests of] 25-30. The last one that we dealt with [had] up to 50.”
The city has budgeted $205,000 for mattress disposal, resulting in a nearly $150,000 loss, given Springfield only collects about $60,000, the DPW director says.
The reforms also tackle another costly matter that's outright radioactive.
Several times a year, Cignoli says, while disposing waste in Agawam, Springfield trucks have hit snags after detection systems flag them for radioactivity.
More often than not, it's the result of residents disposing of cancer treatment-related materials.
"I'm going to say it's probably been like 75 percent human, 25 percent animal … because animals, especially cats, who are taking a cancer drug – the [animal waste/kitty litter] comes back radioactive, so it’s not that it happens a lot, but when it does happen, it’s very, very disruptive.”
As a result of the detection, trucks end up getting taken offline for several days, disposal operations at the facility get backed up, and incident costs rise as high as $6,000 in some cases.
A special "Radioactive Waste" section addresses the matter, clarifying how everything from kitty litter to tissues that have touched patients or pets undergoing nuclear treatment are radioactive and "must be segregated for a minimum of 90 days before disposing in the trash."
It also addresses repeat offenders.
“Nine times out of ten, it's an elderly person who is completely unaware of what they may have done,” Cignoli explains. “I'm not interested in fining or going after those people. I'm interested in [saying] ‘Hey, we've talked to you three times, and now you've done it three times. You may have to incur the cost from the city side of it.’”
Explaining the matter to councilors earlier this year, Cignoli said it usually takes one or two collection weeks and checking bins with Geiger counters to detect radioactive signatures. Those responsible are then provided the proper information.
The DPW director says he hopes to create a public awareness campaign going forward on the issue and other changes to solid waste rules.
Those changes include language spelling out how leaving bulk items on a curb marked as “free” could lead to violation notices if they sit around for more than 48 hours.
“While it's a great thing for people trying to get rid of stuff, what we've kind of noticed is that they put it out there and they go ‘I don't own it anymore! Everybody else can take it’ and this stuff sits there and … that's kind of the new complaint,” he said. “Stuff that we're getting now is ‘Hey, you know my neighbor … they got a pile of stuff in the front, and it's been sitting there for three weeks,’ and you go out there and you look at it and it's like, I wouldn't be taking that either.”
Cignoli says most of the new rules are already in effect. He says the new mattress collection rules begin February 4.
More information can be found here.
