Town Council Calls on Recycling Center Operator to Rehire Popular Worker

BRAINTREE, MA - Members of the Braintree Town Council have joined residents in demanding that the operators of the Braintree Recycling Center rehire Joao Alves.

The council will send a letter to Covanta, the company that runs the center, requesting the reinstatement of Alves. The former employee was let go recently by the company because he does not have a high school degree.

“I can’t think of what would drive them to terminate him. When this happened, the outcry of support was just amazing. He’s touched a lot of people. I know that our mayor has called Covanta as well but hopefully, the result will be that he gets his job back,” Councilor Charles Ryan said.

Despite pleas from the town and residents, Covanta has not budged, with Councilor Michael Owens noting that Alves has five years of experience and trained his replacement.

“It is very disappointing that Covanta wouldn’t budge. It just doesn't make sense and has no logic to it,” he said.

Councilor John Mullaney said he wants to see the town hire Alves, with Councilor Dan Clifford calling on Covanta to be a "good corporate citizen."

“They have a contract with Braintree and if they don’t have a good relationship with Braintree, then it’s going to be hard for them come renewal time,” Clifford said.