Hanson Board of Health to Rebid Trash Contracts After $45,000 Overpayment Finding

HANSON -- July 15, 2025, Hanson Board of Health moves to rebid waste contracts after consultant finds $45,000 annual overpayment. Claire Galkowski, executive director of the South Shore Recycling Cooperative, told the board at its July 15 meeting that Hanson's bundled contract with Harvey, in place since 2015 and now operating without a formal agreement, costs "almost $45,000 more than it should" compared to rates available through competitive bidding. Only one other of Galkowski's 18 South Shore member towns still uses Harvey. The board unanimously approved a $6,126.57 emergency payment to Clean Harbors to decontaminate the transfer station's waste oil tank after a petrochemical chlorine compound was found in the self-serve drop-off, and voted to keep the tank closed pending new protocols. The board also approved a blanket authorization for hazardous waste day registrations and granted a pig permit to 92 South Street, and raised alarms over a Camp Kiwani event on July 12 at which unpermitted food trucks were added to the camp calendar just 48 hours before an expected crowd of up to 320 athletes.