CONWAY — The trash disposal process in Conway will undergo its largest change in years now that the Selectboard has voted to implement a new trash bag sticker policy, effective Oct. 7.

To access the Transfer Station and dispose of their trash, residents will need to purchase a $20 windshield decal, which includes 104 trash bag stickers for the year. Under the current policy, residents can buy a Transfer Station sticker for $10, which allows them to stop by the station on Old Cricket Hill Road and throw away bags of trash.

“It’s very reasonable, and so is the cost of the decal,” Selectboard member Chris Waldo said of the $10 price increase. “The whole point of doing this is to reduce waste consumption, which will reduce the cost of dumping.”

Once residents have a windshield decal, they can use their trash bag stickers at the station to dispose of trash bags. One sticker can be used for two 13- to 16-gallon kitchen bags or a single 33-gallon trash bag, while a contractor bag holding up to 64 gallons requires two stickers. If someone uses all 104 trash bag stickers for the year — the Selectboard set the number at an estimated two stickers per week — they can purchase more from Town Hall.

Until this policy goes into effect, Conway is the only town that doesn’t have a form of pay-as-you-throw trash system for the station and the Selectboard believes this cheap policy is leading out-of-towners to dump large volumes of trash there. With the town generating more pounds of trash per user than larger, neighboring towns like Deerfield, the Selectboard is hopeful the policy change will reduce the amount of waste generated, as well as save residents money because their tax revenue funds waste disposal.

“This is the biggest change in most people’s lives in a long time,” commented Selectboard Chair Philip Kantor, adding that the change may bring “real savings that justify everybody’s sacrifice.” “I do believe that we’ll be able to do that and that’s why I’m in favor of this.”

In fiscal year 2022, the town spent $100,000 on trash and the board is hoping to reduce that number in future years. Its members, however, noted that FY24’s numbers may be slightly skewed because it won’t be a full calendar year of the new policy and there may be a mad dash in the late summer of residents looking to get rid of trash before the new policy takes effect.

Waldo added this is a cost-saving measure and will protect residents from people throwing away disproportionate amounts of trash.

“This is not an investment; you don’t invest in things you throw away,” Waldo said. “This is a consumable tax. The more you throw away, the more you pay.”

Stickers will be available for purchase at Town Hall and will become available on Sept. 1. The new policy will go into effect on Oct. 7.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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