Cost of Medfield Transfer Station Stickers Increase

The Medfield Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to increase the cost of Transfer Station stickers from $40 to $50 for the first vehicle and $25 from $20 for the second vehicle at its Feb. 15 meeting.

The Solid Waste Study Committee requested the increase in sticker costs to the Board of Selectmen after voting in favor of the request at its Feb. 1 meeting, according to Highway Superintendent Kenneth Feeney.

The increase is to help cover the cost of the police detail officer that is on site to check for stickers and the cost of waste removal. Selectmen Osler Peterson suggested an alternative to simply raising the cost of the stickers.

“Part of the sticker money is used to pay for the police detail, and I think we can get the same protection against non-residents using the facility by using much cheaper senior tax work off people at the gates to check for stickers,” said Peterson. “If that is true, then the cost of the stickers would not need to be as high.” 

A larger issue regarding the transfer station, according to Peterson, is the level of town participation in recycling.

“Another big issue is whether or not we are seeing the rates of recycling we want without having to institute pay as you throw,” Peterson said. “The more we recycle, the less we have to pay to get rid of.  The DEP always tells me that PAYT is really the best way to get much higher rates of recycling, which higher recycling rates translate into savings for the town by lower costs incurred for the tipping fees not paid.”

The town is just now seeing how much recycling it will get out of the single stream recycling instituted last year, according to Peterson. “If it is not enough, then we will need to consider PAYT,” he said.

The increase in cost of stickers will take effect in either “May or June” according to Selectmen Mark Fisher. Stickers are valid for two-year cycles.

Peterson said while the BOS prefers not to have municipal fees and instead look to pay for town expenses through property taxes because residents can deduct it from their taxes, he doesn’t think the fee will be an issue.

“Certain items end up as fees, generally because not everyone uses them,” Peterson said. “With that background, my general feeling is that the transfer station fees are not so large as to be objectionable.”