The document provides an overview of waste management and recycling programs in Franklin County, Massachusetts. It discusses the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District's programs including recycling at transfer stations, schools, and businesses. It promotes composting as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from landfills and support local farms. The document encourages expanding recycling and composting efforts to increase sustainability.

1. Where Is Away?
A Travel Diary of Western Mass Waste
Amy Donovan
Program Director
Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Greenfield, MA

2. Overview of presentation
About Franklin County Solid Waste District
Where is “away?”
Recycling in Western Mass
About Commercial Composting (CC): the
climate change and farm connection
CC programs: transfer stations, schools,
businesses
Waste Diversion: Fairs, Festivals, Races
Hazardous Waste
Next steps = more sustainable in 2012

3. Franklin County Solid Waste
Management District
22 member towns:
• 30 schools - 15 public school compost programs
• 17 transfer stations - 4 municipal compost programs
• (only 9 in entire state)
Bernardston Leyden
Buckland Montague
Charlemont New Salem (CC since 2009)
Colrain Northfield (CC since 2008)
Conway Orange (CC since 2011)
Deerfield Rowe
Erving Shelburne
Gill Sunderland
Hawley Warwick
Heath Wendell
Leverett Whately (CC since 2003)
 1st program in state

4. Solid Waste District Highlights:
Recycling coordinator for Franklin County
Annual Household Hazardous Waste Day
What Do I Do With…? 350 items listed
 www.franklincountywastedistrict.org
MassRecycle’s Recycler of the Year:
www.massrecycle.org
 Solid Waste District, Municipal Program, 1996
 Jan Ameen, Executive Director, 2005
 Amy Donovan, Program Director, 2011

5. Springfield Materials Recycling
Facility (MRF) www.springfieldmrf.org
Solid Waste District on MRF Advisory Board
Board = annual Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide
MRF pays 74 western Mass municipalities $15-
$45/ton for recyclables

6. Recycling saves space in landfills.
• It’s against the law In Massachusetts to put
recyclable items in the trash.
• Most landfills in area will close in 5 years
• Expensive to open, use, and close

7. Trash Combustors
Covanta Energy, Springfield/ Agawam
 Waste-To-Energy facility
 Town of Deerfield sends household trash
 Produces 9.4 megawatts (MW) of energy, of
which 7.5 MW is sold to Northeast Utilities.
 Leftover ash >> landfill
 Emissions: mercury
 State: moratorium on new combustors

8. Composting and Recycling:
Save space in landfills
Save energy
Save money
Save water
Save natural resources
Create jobs
Slow climate change!

9. Recycling

10. Recycle paper:
(staples, paper clips, notebooks
Envelopes
(plastic windows, labels, stamps OK)

11. Recycle cardboard:
Boxboard: cereal + cracker boxes
Corrugated cardboard (clean pizza boxes OK)
(no waxed cardboard)

12. DO NOT recycle:
NO paper products with food on them
NO paper cups or plates
NO napkins, paper towels, tissues
NO egg cartons
NO hardcover books
NO copy paper wrappers
NO PLASTIC BAGS, plastic
wrappers or packaging!

13. Our paper recycling is:
Sent to Newark Mills, Fitchburg, MA
78 Western MA communities recycle
32,000 tons a year.
Made into board games and
hard book covers.
Guess what book’s cover was made
entirely from Western MA paper
recycling?......

15. Recycle metal, glass, and plastic
containers =
“Cans and Bottles”
Empty food and liquids.
Rinse when possible.

16. Recycle metal:
Aluminum cans, tin cans and lids,
aluminum foil, aluminum pie plates
and aluminum trays
___________________________
NO paint cans or haz waste spray cans

17. Recycle glass:
Glass bottles and jars of all
colors
______________________
NO light bulbs, dishes, glasses

18. Recycle cartons:
Juice boxes, juice & soy milk cartons,
soup boxes, milk cartons
Recycle with other containers, NOT with paper.
Throw away caps and straws.
___________________________
NO Capri Sun pouches

19. Recycle plastic:
Plastic bottles,
jars,
tubs,
and jugs
Food, soap, and beverage containers only!

20. DO NOT recycle this plastic:
NO Styrofoam NO:
NO small items (plastic utensils, straws)
NO PLASTIC BAGS, wrap
NO plastic cups, plates, utensils
NO butter, packets
NO compostable plastics
 No compostable water bottles!

21. Be careful with plastic bags:
they blow away
and harm wildlife and the environment!
At the recycling factory:
Plastic bags cause accidents if they get
wrapped around sorting equipment.
Recycle in stores only! NOT in regular
recycling programs!

22. Home composting
Home composting is
different than at school:
YES: compost fruit,
vegetables, bread, leaves
NO: meat, bones, cheese!
(animal products)
NO: milk cartons, paper
Save $ on trash disposal,
buying soil/ fertilizer

23. Commercial Composting
“Commercial Composting”=
“Organics Recycling”=
“On-Farm”=
“Food Waste”
…goes way beyond the backyard bin!

24. Commercial Composting accepts materials
previously destined for trash = less trash
Acceptable materials:
All food including items not composted at home:
 Meat, chicken, fish, bones, dairy, fats, oils
 (+ bread, veggies, fruits)
All paper including non recyclable:
 Paper cups, paper plates, napkins, paper towels, waxed
cardboard, waxed paper, soiled pizza boxes, soiled paper,
soiled paper bags, flour/ sugar bags, egg cartons
 Wood: skewers, chopsticks, coffee stirrers, sporks
“Compostable plastic:” PLA cups, certain bags
NO plastic, metal, glass, foil, etc.!

25. Compost is good for plants:
• adds nutrients to soil
• reduces need to water
• replaces chemical fertilizers
Farmland
Finished
compost

27. CC’s benefits to participating
organizations and planet:
Save money on tipping fees:
 Trash: $75/ ton
 Compostables: $45/ ton
Reduce trash dumpster size or reduce pickups and
save on trash disposal /hauling costs
Supports local commercial composting facilities/
farms = local business
Saves space in landfills
Creates valuable soil out of waste
Mitigates climate change!

28. Composting helps slow
Climate Change
Climate Change is caused by greenhouse gases in
our atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide

29. • When food waste (and paper) decay in a landfill, methane is
The Climate Change
released (due to anaerobic conditions).
Connection
• Methane is a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than
carbon dioxide.
• Landfill Gas Recovery not always a solution.
Methane pipe at
a landfill

30. Why doesn’t composting release methane? Because
oxygen is part of the composting process (aerobic).
There is no oxygen in a landfill (anaerobic).
More info:
www.cool2012.com

31. Bear Path Farm, Whately, MA
Windrows

32. Windrows at Martin’s Farm

33. Martin’s Farm in Greenfield accepts compost from schools:
Deerfield
Academy,
Pioneer HS,
Mohawk HS,
Turners Falls HS
Deerfield ES,
Erving ES,
Sunderland ES,
Amherst, more..
Windrow turner
at Martin’s Farm, transfer
Greenfield, MA stations:
Northampton,
Northfield,
markets:
Big Y stores,
Greenfield Stop
& Shop,
Greenfields
Market,
plus
restaurants…

34. Whately Transfer Station:
first municipal program in the state

35. Northfield Transfer Station: 2 yd dumpster
Saves town $1,384/ year

36. School composting
2 yard compost dumpster
Gill Elementary: food, milk
cartons, paper in green
compostable bag
School kitchens compost food
prep trimmings, expired food.

37. Shelburne Falls
Compost Collaborative
Blue Rock Restaurant, The Baker’s Oven,
Mocha Maya’s, Mo’s Fudge Factor, West End Pub
• Shared compost dumpster
• Cost is shared according to volume
• Food waste, napkins, paper towels, cardboard

38. Waste Diversion/ Reduction:
Fairs, Festivals, Races

39. Solid Waste
District’s
Special Event Bin
Loaner Program
Pictured: Recycling
Volunteers at
Conway Festival of
the Hills

40. Franklin County Fair
25,000 attendees, 4 day Fair
2011 Fair: 29% diversion rate
50% savings: disposal costs
Volunteers
needed!
- Green Fair,
next weekend
- FC Fair,
Sept. 8-11
- Community
Service hours!

41. Household Hazardous Waste
Any substance labeled:
CAUSTIC, TOXIC, CORROSIVE,
POISON, FLAMMABLE, WARNING, DANGER, CAUTION
www.franklincountywastedistrict.org/hazardouswaste.html

42. These hazardous items should not
be put in trash:
Household hazardous waste, motor oil
Oil paint
Fluorescent light bulbs
Cell phones + batteries
Batteries: button, lithium, rechargeable (take to
Home Depot/ Radio Shack)
“E-waste” (computers, phones, printers, etc.)
 Google “60 Minutes e-waste”
 Take to Staples, Best Buy

43. Mercury Thermostats &
Thermometers:
… should never be thrown in the
trash. They contain mercury,
which is toxic.
… can be brought to the Franklin
County Solid Waste Management
District office at 50 Miles St. in Greenfield
and be properly disposed of for no charge.
(413-772-2438)
…call your municipality to see if accepted.
Also, CFLs, batteries, cell phones, e-waste….

44. Next Steps: Increasing
Sustainability in 2012
2012 Reduce, Reuse Recycle Guide
Educate DA community about composting + recycling
Identify and address gaps in recycling on campus
Recycle batteries, phones, e-waste, CFLs
Reduce disposables, increase reusables
Support Expanded Bottle Bill:
massbottlebill.blogspot.com
Make manufacturers responsible for waste:
 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
www.productpolicy.org
 Product Stewardship: www.productstewardship.us

45. Questions?
Amy Donovan, Program Director
Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Member, Springfield MRF Advisory Board
50 Miles Street, Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 772-2438
amy@franklincountywastedistrict.org
www.franklincountywastedistrict.org