Douglas Board of Health Considers Higher Fees for Bulky Waste at Transfer Station

DOUGLAS -- November 3, 2025, Douglas Board of Health weighs raising bulky-item fees at the transfer station after surge in couch and furniture drop-offs. At the Monday, November 3 meeting, board members noted that Douglas charges roughly $20 to dispose of a couch while at least one neighboring facility charges $50, and one member said she would survey regional rates before the next permit renewal to determine whether an increase is warranted. The board also heard that a compactor unit had been pressing beyond normal tonnage limits, with transfer station operator Dick monitoring the situation. On public health, the board's nurse reported no vaccine clinics are planned because the state no longer supplies vaccines at no cost to local health boards; residents were directed to CVS and the senior center's annual flu clinic. Blackstone Valley Partnership for Public Health outreach worker Gemma was said to be seeing "really no one signed up" for her Douglas office hours despite monthly availability at the library and senior center. The board tentatively set its next meeting for December 15, 2025.