MONTAGUE — Town officials say trash and recycling pickup has largely been running smoothly since changing waste haulers from Republic Services to Casella Waste Systems at the start of July.

Department of Public Works Office Administrator Brandy Patch explained that since the new contract began, communication and response times have improved for residents who use the service.

“The most important thing is Casella’s response time, and they’re willing to fix the issue right away,” Patch said, noting that complaints that she heard related to pickup delays or missed pickups, but that these issues have been resolved by Casella in a timely manner.

Indeed, some issues were reported during the first few weeks of service as Casella took over, according to Town Administrator Walter Ramsey.

“Coming out of the first few weeks it was a bit of a transition phase, and there was always going to be a few kinks to be worked out as there was a hand-off from one contractor to another,” Ramsey said. “But getting through that first couple weeks, I think it’s been going smoothly since then, and I have not heard any major complaints about Casella.”

During this transition phase, Ramsey explained there was some confusion related to the system of trash collection. To alleviate confusion, banners with information explaining the trash collection system were posted on the Montague town website.

“There was some confusion as part of that transition period between how the new contractor interpreted our policies and practices versus the old one, so it was just a little bit of an education process,” Ramsey said. “We put that front and center for folks to make sure that there’s clarity around that process.”

The current process involves trash barrel stickers that can be purchased at select locations across town. These stickers, valid for six-month periods, cost a maximum of $78, with prices decreasing as the year goes by. Single-use trash stickers are also available for $3 per bag placed on the side of the road. The single-use sticker must be placed on the bag itself.

Jeffrey Weld, vice president of communications at Casella, said the level of communication between the town and the waste hauling company has been effective.

“I think, from our standpoint, the interactions with the town have been really positive. Town leadership is pleased and we’ve had some really high-quality interactions with the residents,” Weld said. He added that despite the early hiccups in service, “the transition seems to be going well.”

When asked if other towns have switched to Casella for service, Weld did not specify municipalities in particular, but said the company seeks compatible towns where it feels its services can be rendered effectively.

“We want to make sure that we’re looking for new customers and new municipalities to service, and that we have the ability and infrastructure to supply the service that meets their expectations and needs,” Weld said.

The change in trash and recycling haulers came in the wake of Montague’s longstanding dissatisfaction with Republic Services’ lack of consistency collecting trash and recycling on time. The Selectboard decided in July 2023 that contracting with Casella would be the most advantageous option, despite its services being more expensive.

The three-year contract that was adopted last summer sees the first year of service costing $637,100, the second year costing $668,955 and the third year being $702,402.

When the contract went into effect on July 1, new additions to trash and recycling service included an app residents can download on their cellphones for access to pickup times, hauler routes and communication options to relay feedback or complaints to Casella.

“Their communication with the town has been great, and they have a web-based app where people can better ... track their trash pickup and communicate directly with Casella,” Ramsey said about the service additions. “I think having that has been a big asset as well.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.