Townsend Board of Health Closes Hearing on New Solid Waste Hauler Regulations

TOWNSEND -- May 11, 2026, Townsend Board of Health closes public hearing on solid waste regulations and sends enforcement letter to debris-strewn Edward Road property. The board voted unanimously Monday to shut the hearing on new hauler rules that would impose mandatory recycling on both residential and commercial generators and establish fines ranging from a warning to $300 for repeat offenders, with an effective date of September 1, 2026. A proposed hauler permit fee increase from $275 to $500 was deferred to the May 26 meeting pending a survey of rates in neighboring towns including Ashburnham at $350 and Ashby at $750. The board also voted unanimously to send a 14-day compliance notice to the owner of 61 Edward Road, a property near the Route 119 wetlands buffer that has accumulated trash for years and previously required volunteer cleanup to avert court action. A septic permit for a planned multi-use redevelopment at 324 Main Street, including a 31-seat fast food restaurant and three-stage wastewater treatment system, was approved unanimously, and a $66,811.03 fiscal year warrant cleared the board without dissent.