Ayer Board of Health Approves Recycling Hire, Sets Hauler Regulation Hearing for May

AYER -- April 13, 2026, Ayer Board of Health recommends recycling hire, approves $62,524 warrant, and targets May 11 public hearing on hauler regulation overhaul. The board voted unanimously Monday to recommend Jeffrey Moon, 20, for Recycling Center Attendant 1, with a Select Board CORI check and anticipated start date of May 2; Moon has already enrolled in a May 12 hoister license course. Financial consultant Elizabeth Barth briefed the board on the Solid Waste and Recycling Enterprise Fund, warning the account is "getting tight" with a projected positive balance of roughly $26,000 after April and a $56,394.90 Shaw tonnage bill just posted. The board also approved a warrant of $62,524.20 covering tonnage, mattress removal, Earth Day expenses, and 20 compost bins from Orbis. Solid waste consultant Rick walked members through a draft hauler regulation overhaul modeled on rules recently adopted in Ashburnham, requiring mandatory bundled trash-and-recycling service from all eight licensed haulers; the board set a tentative public hearing for May 11, with a revised draft due by week's end and a special meeting on April 28.