The Marblehead Board of Health will provide an update Sunday afternoon about the ongoing trash strike by Republic Services, which serves Marblehead and several other communities.
Republic brought in replacement workers last week, but many residents are reporting that their trash and recycling have not been picked up.
Public Health Director Tom Petty “has been trying to get answers from Republic to develop a plan for tomorrow and the week ahead,” BoH member Tom Massaro told the Current.
On Saturday, BoH member Tom McMahon posted to Facebook explaining that the town has no recourse because the striking workers are Republic employees, and do not report to the town.
“So what can you do? STOP WAITING. When Monday comes, take your trash up to the Transfer Station,” McMahon wrote. “Help a neighbor or a friend if you can who might not be able to do it on their own. You’re welcome to leave the barrels out in front of your house and wait it out but I want to be clear that I would not do that. And I haven’t. They missed my neighborhood also.”
The Transfer Station is closed Sunday. “The compactors do have a fill level and that’s when the trailers that cart the trash away get filled. Those are full right now and will not get taken away until Monday,” McMahon explained.
He continued: “We have no new update from Republic. This is a widespread problem, it’s not just Marblehead. But we are lucky we have a backup in our Transfer Station. But you’re gonna have to do it yourself. It sucks, for everyone, but it’s completely out of all of our hands. So feel free to keep waiting for Republic to show, but again, my recommendation is to NOT WAIT. Take your trash and recycling up to the Transfer Station until the strike is over which we all hope will be soon. AND PLEASE BE EXTRA NICE TO THE WORKERS AT THE TRANSFER STATION. They’re working their butts off during this. Bringing them water, snacks or even just thanking them goes a long way.”
Editor Leigh Blander is an experienced TV, radio and print journalist.
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