Framingham's SWAT team has arrived, and it's taking on the town's rubbish.
The group, formally known as the Solid Waste Advisory Team, is launching an educational campaign this month to encourage residents to improve their recycling efforts.
The program, which will first target the South Side of Framingham, is the first step in a broader initiative that will be led by neighborhood groups to increase Framingham's recycling rates and, in turn, save money.
By early next year, the town wants to introduce a pay-as-you throw proposal to the community that Framingham officials hope will encourage residents to increase recycling to avoid fees for solid waste removal.
Last year, Framingham spent about $1.8 million on trash disposal for 15,000 homes, or about $132 per ton. The town's flat-fee contract for recycling costs $500,000, which averaged out to about $52 per ton.
Town Manager George P. King Jr. negotiated a trash contract for $1.5 million this year, but more significant savings could be secured from improving the recycling rate and lowering solid waste removal expenses.
''We need to reduce the amount of trash just from a financial standpoint,'' said Katrina Rideout, the town's recycling coordinator. ''We have a flat fee for recycling, but pay per ton for trash.''
Beyond touting the environmental benefits, the town is focusing on the bottom line as a way to garner support for recycling during bruising fiscal times.
''Especially when the town is in a financial crisis, this is a perfect way to save the town money,'' said Joe Pagano, the town's superintendent of sanitation.
During the next several weeks, neighborhood groups such as Save our Towns and FIMBY will begin handing out literature and door hangers reminding people to recycle in the South Side.
This is the first area targeted because it has the poorest record among the five collection routes. The South Side recycles about 14 percent of its rubbish, while the recycling rate in other areas, such as the northwest, is 26 percent. That figure is about 20 percent in the central and northeast sections.
Although the town historically has tried to reach out to all residents, Rideout said she believes the South Side - with its large immigrant population - may have accidentally been left by the wayside when it comes to recycling education.
''We need to get more of our literature translated and make sure our current translations are accurate,'' Rideout said. ''We need to enlist more people into recycling and bring the trash levels down.''
During the last fiscal year Framingham recycled 35 percent of its solid waste. That is above the state average of 29 percent.
The state Department of Environmental Protection, meanwhile, has issued a statewide goal of reducing municipal solid waste by 60 percent by 2010. To meet that, municipalities would need to maintain a recycling rate between 45 and 50 percent, according to Greg Cooper, assistant director of recycling at the DEP.
The town has made modest progress since 1996, increasing its recycling rate from 28 percent to 35 percent.
John Kahn, a member of SWAT and the Board of Selectmen, said the town wants to introduce a pay-as-you-throw program next year as another way to entice residents to recycle.
An early proposal being discussed would provide residents annually with 50 garbage bags that hold about 30 gallons each. A nominal fee would be charged for additional bags.
Kahn said the pay-as-you-throw program, which has been implemented in 101 communities statewide, is not a revenue generator, but a way to save money. – The Boston Globe