Shrewsbury Board of Health Opens Hearing on Mandatory Hauler Recycling Rules

SHREWSBURY -- April 23, 2026, Shrewsbury Board of Health holds public hearing on proposed mandatory recycling regulations for all haulers. The board convened the April 23 hearing to take comment on draft rules that would require every private waste hauler operating in town to obtain a $500 annual permit and provide bundled trash and recycling service, meaning a hauler picking up residential trash must also offer recycling. Solid Waste and Recycling Program Manager Gosha Stolarska, joined by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Representative Irene Congdon, said the rules are aimed at guaranteeing recycling access to condominiums and businesses currently left out of the system. The only in-person commenter, Taylor Millspaul of Wind Waste, offered general support but asked that commercial-area pickups be permitted before 7 a.m. and flagged a truck-labeling provision as operationally difficult. The board also received written comment from the National Waste and Recycling Association and one private citizen. Written testimony is accepted through May 1, and a formal vote on the regulations is scheduled for May 20 at 8 a.m.