HARPSWELL — The Board of Selectmen on Nov. 21 signed a one-year solid and recycled waste-removal contract with Casella Waste Management.

The agreement runs from Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2014, but selectmen can elect to renew it for an additional two years.

This will mark the town’s first full year using a contractor for recycled waste, nearly four months after the town began a new recycling program.

Fred Cantu, the transfer station and recycling manager, previously estimated the combined services will cost the town about $118,000 for 2014.

Casella, the parent company of Pine Tree Waste, will charge the town $62 per ton and $145 per haul for acceptable waste, tires, and mixed demolition debris, and $145 per haul for recycled materials.

Selectmen decided to pay $8,000 extra for the contract to direct Casella to dispose of waste at a waste-to-energy plant, rather than a landfill.

Casella submitted the lowest bid in September. Similar services from ecomaine and Waste Management could have cost up to nearly $140,000 and about $156,000, respectively.

Casella began hauling recycled materials for the town in August, when Harpswell began its single-stream recycling program.

The program will save the town some money on annual operating costs, but it will also forfeit the town revenue it previously received from selling recycled materials.

The town has hired Casella for waste management for the past four years.

Dylan Martin can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 100 or dmartin@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @DylanLJMartin.