SOUTH HADLEY — Residents have until Nov. 15 to opt out of the town’s new trash and recycling program — which includes access to the recycling center and transfer station for yard waste — set to begin on July 1, 2025.

That’s when the town officially moves to a new automated trash pickup where residents will put trash in carts instead of the pay-as-you-throw green bag system currently in place.

Earlier this year, the Select Board approved a new contract with Republic Services for automated pickup and increased the trash fee from $125 to $225. That new fee began in July, and quarterly trash bills reflecting the new fee went out earlier this month.

Since funding for the new trash carts needs approval at Town Meeting on Nov. 13, Department of Public Works Director John Broderick appeared before the Select Board on Tuesday to iron out some of the details of the new system and to come closer to a decision about the size and number of carts the town will order.

Broderick’s initial recommendation and the board’s discussion lean toward a 65-gallon cart for trash and 95-gallon cart for recycling over a 35-gallon cart for trash and 65-gallon cart for recycling, but Broderick added that he’s received the most concerns and questions from residents in condominiums who lack storage space for the larger cart options.

“The 95-gallon recyclable, it’s just too darn big for most of our residents in condos,” resident Jim Bosman said. “I’ve talked to a number of residents, both in condos and not in condos, I think the elderly population would be challenged to handle the 95 gallon, so I appreciate the consideration of the 35/65 option.”

As a result of his discussions with condominium associations, Broderick recommended that these communities have the option to choose a smaller cart size, giving the condominium associations the task of polling their residents for cart size and trash system choice before Nov. 15.

When Select Board member Renee Sweeney pointed out the bias in limiting the cart size choice to condominium complexes, Broderick responded that it would be extremely difficult to poll every South Hadley household for their cart size preference under such a short timeline.

Board member Andrea Miles added that the real weight of the carts comes from the trash, not the carts themselves.

“Someone has a 65-gallon trash cart, and if they don’t fill it all the way or if they do, they would’ve had to move those bags either way,” Miles said. “It’s not like we’re creating a new problem because we produce the trash that we produce.”

If households decide to opt out of the new system, Broderick said they will need to look at other trash collections options, such as a dumpster or private service, and request an abatement for the trash bill that already went out to households. He added that a portion of the condominium complex can opt out of the program, and the other portion can remain a part of the system.

If residents do not want trash collection, but still desire access to the transfer station and recycling center, then they will need to pay the entire $225 fee.

Fall Woods Apartments on West Summit Street opted out of curbside collection on Sept. 1, Broderick said, and choose to provide a dumpster for the 18 units. Barb Callan-Bogia, president of the Stony Brook Village Condo Association, said that if the town does not allow condos to choose the 35/65 option, the complex will opt out of the system. Lucia Foley, representing the Shadow Brook Condos, echoed the same sentiment.

“If you drive though Stony Brook Village on trash day, there is normally one green bag per household,” Callan-Bogia said. “Hauling a 90 (gallon cart) would be a challenge for over half of our unit owners, and we have a lot that are over 80 years old.”

Board members also inquired about the possibility of families buying extra carts, but Broderick said he’s focused on getting the first two carts per household ordered, built and distributed by July 1, 2025, before addressing all the idiosyncrasies because the funding for the first round of carts must be approved at November’s Town Meeting.

“We want to get the basics in place to roll this out on July 1st,” Broderick said.

Emilee Klein can be reached at eklein@gazettenet.com.