STERLING — Tired of chasing flying pieces of paper down the road on trash day? Sick of torn trash bags spilling out on the curbside?

Sterling will soon be embarking on a new trash program to help address those issues.

The DPW superintendent made a report to the Select Board on Aug. 3, a program selectmen do to take advantage of the audience they have on Sterling-Lancaster Community TV.

DPW Superintendent Ryan Mouradian announced a new, three-year program with Casella Waste Systems that will roll out after Labor Day. As part of the automated, single-stream trash program, residents will receive two containers: A smaller one will be for trash and a larger one for recycling.

"There will be no individual bags, so it will reduce litter with no more open containers and torn bags," Mouradian said. In addition, the town's charges will be reduced as the level of recycling increases.

But it will take a a whole lot of public education to get things right. For example, plastic grocery bags may have a recycling symbol, but they are not recyclable, Mouradian said, and the town will be penalized if they are included in the collected items.

The Department of Public Works is working on an educational mailer to send to residents that will include frequently asked questions and lists of what can and cannot be recycled. The effort is to try to make the program as successful — and profitable — as possible for the town.

Mouradian said the department is making a lot of progress on its "to-do" list. They received the six-wheel dump truck that was approved at the 2021 town meeting and have ordered the radios approved at the 2022 town meeting. Trees at the brush dump, which were from the big ice storm, have been ground up and disposed of, he told the Select Board. 

Roadside mowing is under way and will "continue 'til the snow flies" with new equipment approved at the 2021 town meeting. Some road work, including paving, is done, with more coming in the fall and spring.

On the Water Department side, the town is dealing with the severe drought conditions in the area, with no outside watering mandated from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an odd-even pattern for homeowners for watering in early mornings and evenings. 

The department has a contractor performing leak detection on the water infrastructure, so residents may see someone on a Segway-like device with a listening device on the ground. Mouradian said it has been a couple of years since a leak detection study was done, and they will try to do it yearly in the future.

The department is also looking at water main projects on Redstone Hill and the Waushacum Village areas, with construction anticipated in late 2022 or spring 2023. And the department is doing tests for a new water source off Crowley Road. 

One issue the department is concerned about is parking on Main Street, which impacts not only snow and ice removal, but maintenance, such as street sweeping and line painting.

DPW Chairman Deane Day said overnight parking on Main Street in the center of town is the biggest problem. While the department has the ability to move vehicles that impede snow removal, they would like to see no overnight parking on Main Street, from "the bank to the bank."

Select Board member Dave Smith suggested starting with an overnight winter parking ban, and Select Board Chair Maureen Cranson said the Select Board and DPW board could work together on a letter to landlords making sure tenants have an overnight parking alternative. The lot behind the Butterick Building is available for overnight parking, officials said.