Southbridge Board of Health approves $773,250 quarterly trash and recycling payment

Board of Health · Meeting of January 15, 2026

Southbridge Board of Health approves $773,250 quarterly trash payment amid recycling enforcement debate. The board voted unanimously at its January 15 meeting to pay the town's curbside contractor for service covering 3,602 residential units, a figure members noted is lower than the prior quarterly bill as program enrollment continues to drop. A resident identified only as Kevin told the board that private trash haulers operating dumpsters across town are not being required to comply with Southbridge's mandatory recycling bylaw, which has been on the books since 1978, calling the situation "state law" that the town is failing to enforce uniformly.

Board members said the questions should go to Health Director Maritza, who was absent due to an emergency, and indicated the topic would return at the February 12 meeting. The board's health officer separately reported confirmed flu cases jumped from one on November 25 to 104 by mid-January, driven by the H3N2 strain, with hospitals not yet reporting severe case surges.

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Source: the Board of Health meeting of January 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.