Leaders of the Greater Boston communities where trash is piling up say they are feeling the financial burden of the ongoing sanitation worker strike, threatening to press fines against Republic Services.

Striking members of Teamsters Local 25 and the waste management giant are not negotiating this weekend, pushing off next conversations until Tuesday after the sides failed to settle on an agreement on Friday.

As municipal leaders say their concerns grow by the day amid the dispute, they are demanding that Republic Services “provide accurate and updated timelines and service expectations” and “expand driver resources and logistical support to guarantee the daily completion of all trash and recycling routes.”

Their demands and concerns are outlined in a letter that they sent to the company on Friday, while striking workers and Republic Services accused each other of not taking their proposals seriously.

Officials from Gloucester, Danvers, Beverly, Canton, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Malden, Manchester-by-the-Sea, North Reading, Peabody, Swampscott, Wakefield, Watertown all signed onto the letter.

“Our communities are already bearing the cost of this disruption, both in personnel and material resources, as we work to mitigate the impacts of the service interruption and delay in full service resumption,” the letter states. “It is entirely reasonable – and necessary – for municipalities to take steps to secure alternative services that protect public health and maintain basic standards of cleanliness and safety.”

“We fully intend to seek appropriate compensation for the consequential damages and expenses incurred as a direct result of Republic Services’ failure to meet its obligations,” the officials added.

They highlighted that they are tracking the costs, including labor and emergency response efforts, to “determine the full extent of the financial burden.”

In an update on Saturday, Local 25 President Tom Mari stated that the union met with Republic Services at the request of a federal mediator on Friday, with the unsuccessful negotiation session ending after 9.5 hours.

Mari added that the union wanted to continue bargaining over the weekend.

“I feel bad for the citizens in the cities and towns serviced by Republic,” he stated. “We have no idea why Republic refused to meet for another three days, but we will show up Tuesday morning ready to agree to a contract that brings Republic’s employees up to the standards we’ve established for the employees of Capitol and Boston Carting.”

Republic Services says its proposed nearly 16% immediate wage increase and roughly 43% pay increase over five years, offered on Friday, “outpaces competitors.” According to the company, payroll data shows that almost half of the Boston regional union members already earn six-figure salaries annually.

The company also claims the union is attempting to force workers out of the “zero-premium healthcare plan” offered by Republic and into the “Teamsters’ health and welfare plan, which offers no significant benefit at a substantially higher cost.”

The sides have met for 11 days, twice with a federal mediator, who requested mediation to continue on Tuesday, according to Republic Services.

“When a wage proposal this significant is combined with zero-premium healthcare and generous retirement contributions,” the company stated in an update Friday night, “there is no question who is responsible for this ongoing strike: Teamsters Local 25 and its president Tom Mari.

“It is time for the Teamsters to get serious about negotiations so our employees can return to work,” the company added.

Greater Boston is not the only region in the country dealing with heaping trash piles.

Mari has said roughly 4,000 Teamsters are refusing to report to work nationally until Republic Services “bargains fair and equitable contracts.”

Dozens of state lawmakers are also pressuring Republic Services to settle on a contract with Teamsters Local 25, which represents more than 400 members employed by the company.

“As legislators, we are disappointed to learn that despite multiple meetings, Republic Services has failed to meet basic community standards,” they stated in a letter to the company on Friday.

Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill said in a memo to residents in his North Shore city that officials there had to direct Republic Services to a “number of streets they had repeatedly missed,” noting “we have seen good results, particularly in the downtown.”

The company is also running a day behind schedule, the mayor added.

“I, together with Mayors and Town Administrators from the other 13 communities impacted by this labor dispute between Republic and their drivers and collectors unions, are working together and pushing for Republic to get more drivers into our communities,” Cahill said, “because Republic is not fulfilling their contracts with any of our fourteen cities and towns or with their many commercial customers in our communities.”

Leaders from the affected communities told Republic Services in their letter that they are dealing with more than just the mounting financial burden, as they “deploy emergency responses, address overflow issues, and fill service gaps.”

“At the same time,” they added, “environmental conditions are deteriorating, with uncollected trash affecting neighborhoods, parks, and waterways. Public health concerns are escalating, particularly as restaurants struggle without a viable waste solution during the peak of their busy season.”

Originally Published: July 12, 2025 at 5:50 PM EDT

LAS VEGAS — The Celtics released their Summer League roster on Tuesday but made one major addition before Friday’s opener against the Grizzlies. Boston brought aboard free agent center Charles Bassey to the roster in a surprise move, as the big man joined Amari Williams and Kenneth Lofton Jr. as the team’s primary bigs in Las Vegas.

“It was last-minute,” Bassey said. “I got a call from my agent and flew out the next day and started training camp with them. It’s been good, man. It’s been good from training camp to today’s game. The energy has been great, vibing with these guys and coaches, it’s been fun. Everything’s been good.

Bassey is arguably the most accomplished player in Las Vegas on the Celtics roster, having played four seasons already in the league, including the last three years in San Antonio. The Celtics have previously had interest in the 6-foot-10 center per a source but now there is clear opportunity in the team’s frontcourt following major offseason changes. The chance for a spot likely led Bassey to make a return to Summer League, an unusual move for a player who has played four seasons in the league.

Bassey clearly wants to showcase himself for a potential roster opportunity in Boston and did so well on Friday night, posting a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes off the bench in the Celtics’ 92-78 win over the Grizzlies.

Summer League coach Matt Reynolds raved about Bassey’s impact after the win and how he’s acclimated after joining the roster so late into training camp.

“We found out he was going to join the team shortly before we got started with day one,” Reynolds said. “He did not participate in the live portion day one but he came in day two, again, as we talked about earlier, terminology and concepts, he was behind in that regard, but it was just clear that that guy can make an impact in the game and you saw that throughout the course of the game today. I think he was huge for us.”

Bassey finished with a team-high plus-20 and was a force on both ends of the floor with his rebounding (seven offensive boards) and rim protection (two blocks). He was also efficient with his offense, shooting 7-of-8 from the field, dominating the Grizzlies overmatched big men on the interior with his physicality. ‘’

“Great effort, rebounding, blocking shots, rim protection,” Bassey said of his skillset. “I bring great defense to the team. I just play my role. I know what a team needs from me and I know what they want from me and I do it every night.”

The Celtics have arguably the shallowest depth chart at center in the NBA at this point, with Neemias Queta, Xavier Tillman and Luka Garza as the team’s only true bigs. Boston’s 15-man roster is full for the time being, but there are some non-guaranteed deals that could be moved. Another trade could also bring a chance to make a final roster.

Whether that chance comes for Bassey remains to be seen, but he looked like a player Friday that deserves a longer look to potentially bolster a very thin part of the depth chart in Boston.

Beacon Hill, Fenway, and the West End are the latest neighborhoods to become home to a city-run compost bin for residents to drop off their food waste for free.

“Project Oscar” has expanded rapidly in the past year, said Madeline Montgomery, the zero waste program coordinator with the city’s waste reduction team. At this time in 2024, the project boasted 14 locations. Now, with the three latest additions that opened in June, there are 20 compost bins across the city.

“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback that residents want more of these bins, and they would like them to be more accessible,” Montgomery said. “We’ve really been listening to folks and just understanding, like what’s working for them and like where they would like them to be.”

So far this year, the city has collected more than 108,000 pounds of food scraps, Montgomery said. Black Earth Compost collects the scraps to make compost, which the New England company then sells the compost to local farmers, according to the city.

While some residents can sign up for the free, curbside composting program, Montgomery said Bostonians living in large residential buildings with more than six units aren’t eligible. Instead, those residents can use the neighborhood compost bins.

Things like food scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, flowers, paper products, and wine corks can be put in the Oscar bins instead of in regular trash receptacles. Montgomery said separating food scraps can benefit the environment, soil health, and keep the trash from stinking up the kitchen.

But, pizza boxes, oils, pet waste, compostable diapers, cigarette butts, yard waste, dryer lint, styrofoam, plastic bags, and charcoal should not be put into the bins, the city warns. Higher contamination rates means the city has to pay extra to have the compost properly disposed of, Montgomery said.

After a pilot program, the team chose to give all the bins locks, which residents can open. The lock combination is 214.

“We need to make sure that this program is sustainable, and making sure that the food scraps that are put in here by these residents, we want to make sure it’s actually getting composted,’ Montgomery said. “When there’s less contamination, we can better ensure that it’s getting composted.”

The bins are in most of Boston’s neighborhoods, including three in Brighton and two in Jamaica Plain, as well as at City Hall Plaza in Charlestown, Chinatown, East Boston, South End, South Boston, Roxbury, Roslindale, the North End, and Mission Hill.

Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.