Saving money while being green is seen as a win-win for all.

Check out the Globe story When towns talk trash, earth, taxpayers benefit.

It's the exception rather than the rule that public officials can save money and help the environment, too, but initiatives by several area communities acting together on solid waste service might do just that.

Four neighboring towns - Billerica, Burlington, Tewksbury, and Tyngsborough - have agreed to sign one contract for solid waste collection and are ready to join with a fifth for a separate pact for collection of white goods, or large appliances. Those ventures could lead to further collaboration, with more communities joining in, and significant municipal savings with an accompanying increase in recycling and reduction in fuel use, officials say.

"It's a positive regional collaboration that is based on the initiative of the municipalities," said Tewksbury Town Manager David G. Cressman, a lead negotiator for the communities.