Fitchburg RCC advances $240 solid waste rate for 2027, formal vote set for August

FITCHBURG — July 13, 2026 — Fitchburg Resource Conservation Commission advances a recommended $240 annual solid waste rate for 2027, a 1.7 percent increase from the current $236. Staff presented a rate analysis projecting just under $1.6 million in total 2027 contractual costs under the city's collection agreement with Pellitteri, which runs through 2029; the commission reviewed options ranging from $238 to $242 before staff recommended $240 as the middle path, one that would draw down approximately $30,000 from a fund balance currently sitting at roughly 29 percent of the annual budget — slightly above the 20 to 25 percent target. A formal resolution vote is set for the August meeting. The commission also finalized plans for a July 23 plastics recycling public education event at the Fitchburg library, heard that the Wall-E Green Thursday screening on July 2 drew a record 43 attendees, reviewed a roughly $300,000 proposal to dredge two Business Park stormwater ponds in 2027, and learned that the food scrap drop-off program has surpassed 12,000 pounds collected with 338 registered participants as of late June.