Manchester Select Board Approves Casella Contract, Ending Republic Services Agreement

Select Board · Meeting of July 6, 2026

Manchester-by-the-Sea switches trash hauler from Republic Services to Casella Waste Systems, effective immediately. The Select Board voted unanimously Monday to accept Antico's recommendation to end the town's relationship with Republic after the company rejected proposed contract amendments — including labor-strike protections, waste-stream title transfer, and non-performance liquidated damages — just one week before the June 30 contract expiration. Town Administrator Tony Antico told the board that Republic's reluctance to negotiate and its recent loss of Beverly, Gloucester, and North Reading to Casella made a long-term renewal untenable: "We are not a small fish, we're guppies." The switch triggers a mandatory conversion to automated barrel collection by September, eliminating the pay-as-you-throw orange bag program that generated roughly $300,000 annually, while hauling costs are projected to rise approximately 50 percent — a combined $500,000 to $600,000 fiscal swing.

The board also voted 5-0 to raise the base building permit fee from $6 to $10 per $1,000 of construction value, aligning Manchester with a 36-community average of $11.07, while tabling a proposed orange bag fee increase pending resolution of the barrel transition.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
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• The complete report — 4,687 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of July 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.