Pittsfield Announces Trash/Recycling Bin Disposal Opportunities

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:31PM / Sunday, November 03, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Residents will have two opportunities to dispose of their old trash and recycling containers as the new toter system rolls out.

This includes a drop-off at Casella Waste Systems' transfer station, located at 500 Hubbard Ave., and a residential pickup within the next few weeks.

On Saturday, Nov. 9, residents can drop them off at the transfer station from 8 a.m. to noon. During the week of Nov. 11-15, old trash and recycling containers will be picked up curbside on the same day of scheduled collection.

"Casella will pick up any old trash and recycling containers, left at the curbside, by a separate truck and not by the trash or recycling truck," the city recently wrote in a press release.

"For residents who have backyard pickups, unless you indicate that you are keeping the old
container with a note, Casella will pick up your old container(s) the week of November 11."

The city encouraged residents to repurpose the containers if possible. This can mean selling or donating, using them for storage or yard waste, and using them as a compost bin.

The delivery of recycling toters began on Sept. 10 and trash toters began rolling out last week.

In June, the council approved draft five-year contracts with Casella Waste Management for a new trash system that uses 48-gallon toters for recycling and trash.

The administration reached constituents through nine community meetings, mailers, print and digital media, radio, public access, and social media so they were informed about the new system.

During the meetings, attendees expressed concern about disposing of their old containers. While this had not been considered early on in the process, the city made a plan.

Officials say Pittsfield's nearly 17,400 households produce about 1,800 pounds of trash each annually, generating close to 20 tons as a community. The system aims to reduce each household's waste to 1,370 pounds annually.

There is a potential for more than $500,000 in cost savings through the program, Mayor Peter Marchetti said, and most is through recyclables. Automation saves the city $80,000 per year and the city can see much larger savings if it steps up on recycling.

Additional resources for the new trash and collection system can be found on the toter program page on the city's website.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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