FORECASTER • March 3, 2025
In the coming months, Falmouth will begin auditing the trash that residents put on the curb for pickup, checking that they are using the mandatory yellow trash bags. Following the switch to an automated waste collection system in 2023, which no longer entails a person checking that the trash is in yellow bags, Falmouth saw a 10% decrease in the purchase of yellow trash bags as compared to the previous year. At the same time, the volume by weight of trash collected in Falmouth increased by 7%, leading some town councilors to believe that more households in Falmouth are putting their trash in the collection bin without using the yellow bags. The discrepancy between the increase in trash and the decrease in yellow trash bag purchases has left a hole in the town’s trash disposal budget. In FY 2024, Falmouth saw a net loss of $186,644 in the program.