Reading Previews Automated Trash and Recycling Changes
READING — The town is preparing to shift to automated trash and recycling collection, an operational change Town Manager Jayne Wellman detailed in a new episode of the Town Hall podcast, while High Street closes for four days of roadwork and a Patch report previewed zoning changes that could reshape the Eastern Gateway corridor.
TOWN HALL Town Hall is rolling out changes to trash and recycling service, and Wellman walked through the shift in the newest episode of "Reading Between the Lines," the podcast she hosts with RCTV. The town has not yet detailed a start date for residents in the News Flash item, but automated collection typically means a switch to town-issued bins and mechanized pickup trucks.
Separately, High Street will close to through traffic from July 14 to July 17 for roadwork; the town says local businesses along the corridor will remain open and accessible during the closure. The East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project is also running its truck-mounted aerosol spraying program through the summer, with the town referring residents to its posted schedule for treatment dates in Reading neighborhoods.
COMMUNITY & ARTS The Let Grow Summer Independence Challenge, a free national program encouraging kids to take on small independent tasks, is coming to Reading this summer, the town announced. Town Hall is also inviting residents to submit their own photos of Reading for possible use on the town's website and social media, part of a broader push to refresh the town's public-facing image with community-submitted pictures.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS "🌱 Patch AM: What zoning changes could reshape Reading's Eastern Gateway and ADU rules?" Patch's morning newsletter flagged upcoming zoning discussions touching accessory dwelling units and the Eastern Gateway corridor, a topic the town's own Eastern Gateway Steering Committee is set to take up this month (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/reading).
"Fiscal Year 2027 State Budget Includes $50K for Reading Council on Aging Van" — Patch reports, via the office of House Minority Leader Brad Jones, that the state's FY27 budget sets aside $50,000 for a Reading Council on Aging van, alongside increases to Chapter 70 and unrestricted local aid for the town (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/reading).
"Senator Lewis and Mass. Senate Crack Down on Big Social Media Companies that Target Youth" — per Patch, the state Senate passed a bill restricting autoplay, infinite scroll and other algorithmic features on accounts used by minors (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/reading).
"30+ MA Beaches Closed As Smoky Haze Makes Comeback: See Latest Forecast" — Patch reports that smoke from Ontario wildfires is returning to Massachusetts skies after clearing briefly, prompting beach closures statewide (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/reading).
COMING UP The Eastern Gateway Steering Committee meets Tuesday, July 21 — the same panel weighing the zoning and ADU questions Patch flagged this week. Also on the calendar: the Town Forest Committee and the Housing Authority, both Monday, July 20, along with the Killam School Building Committee that evening. The Contributory Retirement Board and the Conservation Commission both meet Wednesday, July 22.