Garbage Trucks Trashed in Norton, Impact on Franklin Trash/Recycling Seen as Minimal, So Far

(Above, screen capture of WCVB report on the aftermath of the Norton truck fires.)

Early Monday morning a fire at a large Waste Management facility – the company that provides municipal trash collection in Franklin – in Norton, destroyed 10 trash collection vehicles and may have damaged others, according to multiple media reports. A Facebook posting by Mansfield firefighters union 1820, shows more images of the damage sustained. The multiple-alarm blaze eventually required the help of several town fire departments.

The loss of the trucks comes at a time when officials in Franklin and elsewhere have been warning of not only a shortage of drivers but also a shortage of spare parts for vehicles, sometimes causing trucks to be out of service for days at a time, often threatening the company’s ability to fully maintain its services.

Garrett Trierweiler, Director of Public Affairs at Waste Management, contacted Monday, said as of the end of the afternoon, that he was still trying to track down someone able to assess the possible impact of the destroyed trucks on services in the region.

Franklin Director of Public Works, Robert “Brutus” Cantoreggi also said he had been attempting to text his contacts at Waste Management, but without success.

Tea leaf readers might draw comfort, however, from descriptions of the work conducted at the Norton site, which seems to focus more on commercial trash pickup accounts and on private residential trash pickup rather than municipal work. Still, 10 fewer trucks is 10 fewer trucks.

This story will be updated when more comprehensive information is received.

[Update 1: As of  8:30 AM Sept 7, Trierweiler reports "as of this morning all routes are being run as scheduled out of the Norton facility."]

[Update 2: as of 9 AM Sept 7, Derek Adams, Franklin Environmental Affairs Coordinator, says "Waste Management stated there is currently 4 trucks working in Franklin. Today’s collection is expected to be completed as scheduled."]