Scavengers Top Annual Town Meeting Warrant

Next week, town meeting members will be voting at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 21 starting at 7 p.m. at .

Besides voting on the town and school budget totalling $97 million, town meeting members will have the opportunity to vote on two petitions on a similar subject submitted by residents in town.

The two articles (15 & 16) involve scavenging of solid wastes and recyclables. The first articles requires people who want to go through trash and recycling on the side of the road to register with the .

The second petition prohibits scavenging through trash and recycling in town altogether.

Shrewsbury Resident Mary Beth Connors discussed why she submitted the petition at a selectmen's meeting earlier this year.

"I saw a man with an empty wheelbarrow in my neighborhood and then I saw him later in the day on Route 140 with an enormous bag of bottles and cans throughout the day," Connors said, who lives in the neighborhood across from the . "I have two young kids and I don't want them to see a stranger rummaging through the recycling—we live in a family-friendly town and there are a lot of issues with this."

Another article on the warrant is asking people who want to rummage through trash to obtain a permit from the town.

"I don't think this solves the issue," Connors said. "I've seen people opening blue trash bags and going through personal items and I worry about identity theft."

There are a total of 31 articles on the annual town meeting warrant.

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