The leaders of a small New Hampshire town have voted to get rid of curbside trash pickup, angering many locals who rely on it.
Starting May 17, Allenstown will no longer provide the service and will stop accepting solid waste at the local transfer station.
Justin Federico and his family moved from Manchester to Allenstown to experience the small-town feel, while also maintaining access to typical services cities provide, like trash pickup.
Federico and many others are furious, given that they’ve paid taxes and are now losing out on something that feel entitled to.
‘It’s an inconvenience. This is a responsibility that I’ve already paid for,’ Federico told the Concord Monitor. ‘It’s not my job to do this, and that’s going to cost us roughly an additional $500 or more per year.’
The controversial decision came during an April 14 meeting of the Board of Selectmen, the five-person governing body of the town of 4,000. Dozens of people attended the meeting to show their displeasure.
Three of the five board members voted to scrap all publicly offered trash removal options for its residents, with those in favor citing the desperate need for Allenstown to cut costs.
That’s because in March, voters rejected a larger budget proposed by the board members, instead choosing a leaner $5.5 million spending package. This left the town with $657,000 less to spend.
Kathleen Pelissier, a board member who voted against scrapping trash collection, has been circulating a petition that would restore funding to the service by next year (Pictured: Pelissier, left, explains the petition to resident Elizabeth Neveu)
Dozens of residents attended the April 14 Board of Selectmen meeting to argue against cutting trash pickup. Ultimately, three board members voted yes, while two voted no
Scott McDonald, chair of the Board of Selectmen, said he spoke with department heads and came to the conclusion that the mandatory spending cuts could not come from essential public safety services like the police and fire departments.
‘We didn’t think it prudent to take money and degrade our safety services for trash pickup,’ McDonald told the Monitor. ‘Trash pickup, we’ve had it for what seems like forever. It’s a convenience, but it is not an essential service.’
By eliminating trash services, the town has saved $337,000 but still needs to find well over $300,000 in cuts to make up for the budget shortfall.
Barring any major reversals from the board, residents will now have to pay out-of-pocket for a private company to get rid of their trash or they’ll have to drive about a half-hour to the dump in Concord.
For Elizabeth Neveu and other elderly residents, these aren’t realistic options.
‘I have to catch a ride. I can’t put my garbage on my back and carry it,’ Neveu told the Monitor. ‘There are other people too. I’m not the only one that don’t drive.’
The town’s waste collection is done by Casella Waste Systems, which has a contract with the local government. Now that taxes ostensibly won’t fund that contract, the town has gone ahead and advertised Casella to residents for private trash pickup, a service that costs $34.25 per month.
Kathleen Pelissier, a board member who voted against scrapping trash service, argued in an April 21 meeting that this essentially means residents will be double-paying.
In a meeting on April 21, Pelissier (seated second from left) argued that residents are double-paying for trash pickup the way the default budget is currently structured
Pelissier has gotten about 400 people to sign her petition that would restore funding for trash pickup by next year’s town meeting
‘They’ve taken the money that would have been spent on trash and they’re spending it elsewhere. So you’re paying twice. You’re still paying for trash, the default budget still has that money allocated to trash, and then you’re paying again out of pocket.
According to the 2025 default budget, there is still $377,235 that is allocated to ‘solid waste disposal.’ This includes salaries, supplies, and solid waste collection.
DailyMail.com has approached the Allenstown Board of Selectmen for comment on the discrepancy.
Meanwhile, Pelissier is working to bring trash pickup back for residents like Neveu, who can’t do it themselves.
‘I think there’s going to be a major problem, and people are going to start throwing the trash everywhere. I might be able to arrange to put my trash in somebody else’s trash, but there’s nothing I can do,’ Neveu said.
Pelissier said that if all departments had cut spending on nonessential expenditures, trash services wouldn’t need to be on the chopping block at all.
She has been out and about convincing residents to sign a petition that would restore funding for trash collection by next year’s town meeting. So far, she’s collected about 400 signatures.
Pelissier is also pushing the board to approve $450,000 next year to fund solid waste services.
Residents who are upset about the town’s decision have taken to social media to push back against the board members who voted against keeping trash pickup – McDonald, Diane Adinolfo and Laura Lambert.
‘It’s really sad because there are a few of us who are really nervous for our physical safety,’ said McDonald. ‘There’s been some things said out there that are really edgy, and it’s unfortunate.’
Pelissier too has been active on social media about this issue, the Monitor reported, though her various profiles appear to have been recently scrubbed of all activity.
Pelissier previously said she isn’t afraid to express her views online.
‘I think that the board is threatened by my social media use,’ she said. ‘I unfortunately think the board has a skewed perception that there has been a lot of anger and backlash at the decision that they’ve made, and because I am involved on social media, they incorrectly seem to think that’s the cause.’
DailyMail.com approached Pelissier for further comment.
Allenstown’s transfer station isn’t entirely closed for the next year, as it will still accept yard waste.
A list of accepted recyclables will soon be posted on the town’s website as well.
