Citizens' Petition for New PAYT System

Malden First for Better Government

Many of you may have heard rumblings of a new petition to re-formulate the PAYT program in Malden. It is true. We have one ready to go on the ballot on November 5, 2013. We revised the original after meeting with Mayor Christenson, Chuck Ranaghan, Controller and Bobby Knox, DPW Head.  Initially we felt the City should provide barrels to the residents under 6 units similar to Medford and Everett. Our Mayor said the City cannot afford such a plan. We believe we have come up with a version which is a reasonable and final proposal.

The Mayor’s PAYT Panel has proposed renting a barrel to residents for trash for $150-$250 per year in place of the blue trash bags.  Or continue buying the bags the way we have been forced to. The rental fee will be put on a residents’ monthly water bill. Anyone renting an apartment in the under 6 unit buildings is sure to face an additional rent increase with that proposal. No real improvements to this program and certainly no relief for homeowners who are the backbone of this City and the ones who pay the bills. We deserve better than what we have now. Those in larger units have dumpsters and are not required to recycle. Only the single homes and buildings under 6 units are mandated.  The Mayor suggested we should be able to sacrifice more for the greater good of the rest of the City.

Our petition calls for each under 6 unit building receive a label to affix to a 40 gallon or less lidded trash barrel of one’s own choice. One barrel FREE!  If you recycle properly you wouldn’t need to buy anything more. The fees for any excess trash will increase: 13 gallon trash bag $2 and 33 gallon trash bag $4. These bags will be provided by the resident and a sticker purchased from City Hall on-line or in person will be affixed to these bags according to the above fee schedule.

Bulk items over 35 lbs. will need to buy a sticker. It makes no sense that we can toss out a couch for free yet have to pay for all our weekly trash. If it’s about tonnage, well, we believe a couch weighs more than a 40 gallon trash barrel. Charging a fee for large items would help defray the loss in revenue from that one barrel per week.

No more blue bags. No hunting down the bags only to be forced to buy the size you don’t want, if you can find them. No flimsy bags that animals get into as you select what you want to use. No more being forced to choose between food on the table or a $20 box of trash bags. No more dumping of trash.

 A label from the DPW can be obtained (thank you, Paul DiPietro!) for a designated barrel to put your former “blue bag” trash in to keep the animals out. It appears the City has not done a very good job getting the word out about this label as the blue bags are still left on the sidewalks for easy animal access.

Recycling is still a major component of our petition for revising the PAYT program. As the fees will go up (another way to re-coup any lost revenue from a 40 gallon or less barrel) people will continue to recycle. The City should make more of an effort to require or at least offer recycling bins at the larger apartment buildings that use dumpsters for all their trash and are not participating in the recycling effort like those in under 6 units buildings are required to.

We need to get this done, Malden! Here are the ways you can help:  Sign our petition and GET OUT AND VOTE! Even if you are not affected by this, we would appreciate your support.  Join our facebook page: Malden First and our group page: Malden First Petition. Email: maldenfirst02148@gmail to take a petition and get some signatures and/or to be added to our list. We need all the help we can get and time is getting short. WITH YOUR SUPPORT WE CAN DO THIS!!!