Lexington Select Board Backs 48-Gallon Trash Cart Default, Approves Voter Turnout Task Force

LEXINGTON -- July 20, 2026, Lexington Select Board signals preference for 48-gallon default trash cart, unanimously launches voter turnout task force. The five-member board, meeting Monday in hybrid format, heard a detailed presentation from Director of Public Works Dave Pinsano and Sustainability Officer Maggie Peer on a proposed automated cart-based collection program targeting a July 1, 2027 launch, with staff recommending a 48-gallon default, a size that covers roughly 80 percent of households without behavior change, over alternatives of 35 or 65 gallons. MassDEP grant funding is available only for towns choosing a 35-gallon baseline, while a 65-gallon default would draw little state support; no formal vote was taken, but Members Jill I. Hai, Douglas M. Lucente, and Chair Joseph N. Pato all expressed preference for 48 gallons, while Member Mark D. Sandeen proposed a fourth option: a 35-gallon default with a free second cart for households enrolling in composting. Hauler negotiations must be finalized by early November 2026, with five public input sessions scheduled from August 26 through mid-September. The board also voted 5-0 to approve a charge for a new local election voter turnout task force, an initiative of the Vision for Lexington subcommittee, after adopting language to keep the eligibility definition flexible to future changes in law, and received an immigration rights update from the Lexington Human Rights Committee requesting that the board's March proclamation be translated into multiple languages and that red card distribution in municipal buildings be reconsidered in consultation with town counsel.