How Malden's Trash, Recycling Choice Program Will Work

MALDEN, MA —Malden will begin its rollout of city-issued trash and recycling carts next month in an effort to curb errant trash on its streets and offer residents flexibility through the Pay-As-You-Throw program. Carts will be delivered between April 12 and May 7.

"We see a lot of trash and recycling that blows around because we're not able to properly contain it in our current system," Ron Cochran, the city's communications director, said at a March 18 meeting about the program. "The naked bags on the street, especially in the summertime, can be ripped open by raccoons and various critters out there."

Homeowners will receive two carts, one for recycling and one for trash. They can choose to continue to use the city-issued blue bags in the trash cart and pay per bag, or pay $75 annually for the entire cart and use their own bags.

The recycling cart can hold two open-topped bins' worth of materials, and items no longer have to be separated. Residents can use their own bins for overflow recycling, as long as they are marked with a "Mixed Recycling" sticker.

Trash tags, which Cochran said the city is attempting to make tamper-proof, and additional carts will be available for purchase from the city in July. Tags will cost $38 this year and will have to be renewed annually in December.

Malden will also have a hotline to report stolen trash tags, a concern some residents raised at the March 18 meeting.

"If that's discovered it will be a pretty hefty fine," Cochran said.

Trash tags will be associated only with the specific cart to which it is attached. Extra carts will be $40 each through the city's bulk-purchasing program.