There have been many questions about the recent announcement about rate changes for rubbish service to the town of Tisbury. We would like to offer some clarifications.

The town has had a contract with Bruno’s Rolloff, Inc. that expired and needed to be renewed in January. After reviewing a consultant’s report, undergoing a bidding process, and conducting a public hearing, a new contract with Bruno’s was agreed to by the selectmen. The benefit to town residents is continued guaranteed curbside service for both rubbish and recycling. Tisbury may be the only Island town that guarantees a curbside recycling option for residents. The contract maintains service townwide for all roadways under the existing and new contract. The service area and fee rate for rubbish and recycling is only available through the town contract and not guaranteed or necessarily available through a private individual service contract.

Residents purchase stickers at various convenient locations (Cronig’s Market in Tisbury, Cumberland Farms, Leslie’s Drugstore, Cash & Carry and the DPW office at High Point Lane) and affix the sticker to the topmost bag in their barrel. Rates for these stickers has not risen in years while the cost of transporting trash off-Island has risen steadily, making trash removal a losing proposition for both Bruno’s and the town. These rates, while higher now, are still a bargain for town residents.

The biggest change noted by residents is the additional charge for recyclables. Until now, all residents could depend on curbside recycling at no charge whether they used the town services or contracted privately. While the industry was reimbursing the town and private haulers for recycling, now, due to historically low oil prices, both must pay for recycling. The cost for stickers does not adequately support the cost of removing recyclables. In response, private haulers have all initiated a $125 annual fee for picking up recycling curbside in order to meet their expenses. This is the same fee for curbside pickup in the agreement Tisbury has with Bruno’s. However, for those who are seasonal or do not require frequent service, or wish to spread their payments, arrangements can be negotiated privately with any of the private rubbish services.

What is not fully understood is that Tisbury residents still have the option to purchase an annual permit ($35 annually, $20 for seniors) at our local dropoff (LDO) on High Point Lane. This entitles you to bring recyclables (co-mingled tin, glass and plastic, and cardboard and newspaper) for disposal any day of the week at no charge. The rates for other items, as well as grass clippings and leaves, have also recently been renegotiated after a public hearing. These new rates are published on the town’s website (tisbury.ma.gov). We in no way wish to discourage recycling which is why we continue to keep our drop off rates as low as possible. Should you have any questions about trash removal and our LDO in Tisbury, please call the DPW offices at 508-696-4220.

Melinda Loberg
Vineyard Haven

The writer is chairman of the Tisbury selectmen.