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Date: 8/29/2023
HOLYOKE — The city of Holyoke and the DPW have announced new trash barrels will be distributed to every household beginning in September.
According to the DPW, all residents in single-family, two-family, three-family and four-family homes will receive new 96-gallon trash carts. The delivery will begin on Monday, Sept. 18 to make waste disposal more efficient and convenient.
Trash schedules will remain the same and damage to the new cart will be the responsibility of the homeowner at a cost of $90.
The new cans come with city efforts to combat and eliminate issues of waste in the city. The city had switched from a dual-steam recycling service to a single stream during the coronavirus pandemic due to lack of staging and rules not being enforced.
The city decided earlier this year to return to dual stream after receiving the Holyoke waste management study report and recommendations focused on combating the city’s trash issues. Dual stream recycling is the sorting of paper from plastics and glass when recycling, while single stream takes everything in one package.
Recyclables will have to be separated into two bins, one for paper and cardboard and the second for glass, metals and plastic. Additional recycling bins can be purchased at the DPW for $10.
Mayor Joshua Garcia has been consistently against trash build up during his time in office and formed the Holyoke Waste Management Study group of city officials to identify their issues and how to best resolve them.
“I think what I reviewed here and what I’m hearing from the presentation and what they were hoping to do as we go forward is a cultural shift, start to change the culture of how we treat our waste here in the city of Holyoke,” Garcia said during a Board of Public Works special meeting in April where many issues relating to trash and recycling in the city were discussed. “What I see is a shift in the culture and how we think, how the public thinks, about getting rid of their trash.”
Comcast cable license renewal hearing Sept. 14
In other Holyoke updates, Garcia announced the public cable license renewal hearing with Comcast will be on Sept. 14 at 6 p.m., at Holyoke Media, 1 Court Plaza, as part of the city’s license renewal proceedings pertaining to Comcast. Holyoke’s Comcast cable license expires on March 11, 2024.
The upcoming federally mandated hearing seeks to gauge the community’s cable-related needs and interests. It also provides opportunity for Holyoke residents to provide their insights on Comcast’s past performance in the city.
Interested persons may attend and directly participate in person or they can access the hearing remotely via Zoom. The Zoom meeting ID and passcode can be found on the city’s website. The hearing can be watched without remote participation on Comcast channel 15 in Holyoke.
FY24 CPA grant cycle begins
The latest cycle for Community Preservation Act grants has begun and those interested can get started by completing and submitting the committee’s eligibility form, which can be located on the city’s website.
The deadline for electronic submission is Sept. 15. The form is open to project proposals under the categories of Historic Preservation, Open/Recreational space, and housing. For more information on the CPA, visit https://holyokecpac.org.