YOUR LOCAL NEWS & SPORTS ONLINE! SCAN & SUBSCRIBE HERE! Vol. 34, No.18 -FREEwww.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday Play Ball – Revere Little League Opening Day 781-286-8500 Friday, May 3, 2024 City renews trash disposal contract with WIN Waste Innovations By Barbara Taormina T he City Council approved a new 10-year contract with WIN Waste at their meeting this week. The current contract expires on June 30, and city Chief Financial Officer Richard Viscay said he had been negotiating with WIN Waste for the past month on a new deal. Although the contract was negotiated exclusively with WIN Waste, Viscay told the council it was a good deal, the best the city could expect. Viscay explained that for the STARTING PITCHER: Cubs Starting Catcher Vincent Martinez caught the ball from Mayor Patrick Keefe during Revere Little League Opening Day ceremony on Saturday at Griswold Field. See page 4 for photo highlights. (Courtesy photo) Mass House Passes FY25 Budget, Invests in Programs That Support Families Across Massachusetts Highlights include a record investment in the MBTA, continued funding for universal school meals, meaningful investments in child care and K-12 education B OSTON — The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed its Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget. Funded at $58 billion, $62 million below Governor Maura Healey’s budget proposal, the House’s FY25 budget responds to the needs of residents, provides strong support for the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, and among many critical investments, includes signifi cant funding for education, transportation, health care, housing, and workforce development. MASS HOUSE | SEE Page 10 fi rst fi ve years the rate would increase roughly fi ve percent annually. This year, WIN Waste will charge $88.25 a ton for disposal, next year, $91.78 a ton, $95.48 a ton in 2027 and so on. In years six through 10, both WIN Waste and the city will have the option to extend or renegotiate. WIN Waste has agreed to take all of Revere’s yard waste for free as long as it fi ts in the Rumney Marsh landfi ll without exceeding the 50-foot height limitation. Currently, the city pays $16 per ton for yard waste disposal. Viscay said the company expects to reach the limit in two years. WIN Waste is also making a $25,000 contribution to the city. Viscay said that Mayor Patrick Keefe intends to use that money to launch a composting program. “Anything we can do to keep waste out of the landfi ll is helpful.” The rates would apply even if WIN Waste fi nds itself in the position of having to truck out its ash to another landfi ll. Ward 5 Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya was the first to ask Viscay about the contract. Anthony Zambuto Councillor-at-Large “When are they going to close?” asked Guarino-Sawaya about the facility. Residents in Point of Pines and Riverside, her constituents, have long complained about problems at the facility, including what they believe are hazardous emissions that cause respiratory health problems. “They truck all sorts of ash through the city. I don’t understand why we keep going back to them when we want them to be shut down. I’m disgusted with them and their toxic ash.” It has been noted in the past that the ash that is deposited in the landfi ll at WIN Waste has been classifi ed as nonhazardous material by MassDEP and U.S. EPA. Other councillors questioned Viscay about negotiating with WIN Waste exclusively and about the rates of other solid waste disposal companies. “I think this is a favorable deal no matter what you think of the business,” said Viscay, adding that Revere’s rates were one of the lowest. “Did we bid this out?” asked City Council Vice President Ira Novoselsky. CITY RENEWS | SEE Page 5
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