The Select Board has unanimously approved a transition to automated trash and recycling collection, moving the town away from manual pickup and toward trucks equipped with mechanical arms. Selectperson Michael Dougherty said the shift is both practical and inevitable.
鈥淭here鈥檚 this perception out there that by going to full automation, we鈥檙e transitioning to a type of service that is a luxury,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think what people need to fully understand is that, not only is full automation the cheapest option on an annual basis 鈥� but it鈥檚 also the way the industry is headed.鈥�
Ipswich currently pays $1.48 million annually for manual trash and recycling collection. Under the options presented, a fully automated system would cost about $1.6 million; continuing manual collection would cost around $1.95 million; and a hybrid option of manual and automated collection would come in at $1.89 million.