The Franklin County Solid Waste Management District provides waste management services to 22 municipalities in western Massachusetts. It coordinates regional programs like hazardous waste collection and education. The district received grants to start a food waste composting program and formed partnerships with farms to process compost. It aims to increase recycling and diversion rates through school and business organics collection programs.

1. Amy Donovan
Program Director
Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
2012 Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors (MAPD) Conference

2. • Regional management of municipal solid waste
• Member municipalities pay assessments
• Fee for service
Services:
• Bundle waste hauling bids
• Educational services
• Regional grants, special projects
• Hazardous/ special waste collections
Mass DEP Sustainable Materials Recycling Program Grant:
Pilot Programs and Regional Initiatives
Formation of Regional Solid Waste/Recycling District
• “…significant potential for more regional cooperation in certain areas.”
• $10,000 - $50,000 in funding for a 1-year project or $10,000 -
$100,000 for a 2-year project.

3. Hilltown Resource Management Cooperative
Southern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District

4.  Bernardston
 Buckland
 Charlemont
 Colrain
 Conway
 Deerfield
 Erving
 Gill
 Hawley
 Heath
 Leverett
 Leyden
 Montague
 New Salem (CC since 2009)
 Northfield (CC since 2008)
 Orange (CC since 2011)
 Rowe
 Shelburne
 Sunderland
 Warwick
 Wendell
 Whately (CC since 2003)
22 member towns: 500 square miles, 30 public schools,
17 transfer stations, 4 municipal compost programs

5.  Annual Household Hazardous Waste Day
 Biannual Bulky Waste Day (+ e-waste)
 Sharps Disposal Program
 Special Event Recycling Materials Loan Program
 What Do I Do With…? 350 items listed
 www.franklincountywastedistrict.org
 MassRecycle’s Recycler of the Year:
 FC Solid Waste District, Municipal Program, 1996
 Jan Ameen, Executive Director, 2005
 Amy Donovan, Program Director, 2011
 www.massrecycle.org

6.  MRF currently pays 74 western Mass municipalities
$15.67/ton + revenue, now about $45/ton
 Solid Waste District on MRF Advisory Board (MAB)
 MAB = annual Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Guide
 www.springfieldmrf.org

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

8. Generally accepts:
 All food including items not composted at home:
 Meat, chicken, fish, bones, dairy, fats, oils
 All paper including non recyclable:
 Paper cups, paper plates, napkins, paper towels, waxed
cardboard, soiled paper, soiled pizza boxes
 Wood: skewers, chopsticks, coffee stirrers, sporks
 “Compostable plastic:” PLA cups, certain bags
 NO plastic, metal, glass, foil, etc.!

10.  Save money on tipping fees:
 MSW (trash): $75/ ton
 Compostables: $45/ ton
 Reduce trash p/u or dumpster size = reduced
trash disposal /hauling costs
 Supports infrastructure for organics recycling:
local composting facilities, farms, anaerobic
digestion
 Saves space in landfills
 Creates valuable soil amendment from waste
 Mitigates climate change!

11. Climate Change is caused by greenhouse gases in
our atmosphere.
Greenhouse Gases:
Carbon Dioxide
Methane
Nitrous Oxide
(School slides)

12. • Biodegradables decaying in anaerobic landfills release methane.
• Methane is a greenhouse gas 23 times more potent than carbon
dioxide.
• Landfill Gas Recovery not always a solution.
• For every ton of food waste composted, nearly a ton of greenhouse
gas emissions is avoided (MassDEP).
Methane pipe at a landfill

13. More info:
Why doesn’t composting release methane? Because oxygen is part of
the composting process (aerobic). There is no oxygen in a landfill.
Windrow turner
at Martin’s Farm,
Greenfield, MA

14. Martin’s Farm accepts 10 tons/organics day from schools:
Pioneer HS,
Turners Falls HS
Mohawk HS,
Northfield ES,
Deerfield ES,
Erving ES,
Sunderland ES,
Amherst, more..
transfer
stations:
Northfield,
Vernon VT,
markets:
Big Y stores,
Stop & Shop,
Co-Op Markets,
plus
restaurants…

15. Windrows at Martin’s Farm:
150 yards long

16. Windrows
Bear Path Farm, Whately MA

19.  San Francisco, Seattle, Ontario, Halifax NS
Massachusetts:
 Only 1 municipal curbside program:
 Hamilton/ Wenham
 (About 8 municipal drop off programs)
 Mass DEP SMRP grant opportunities
San Francisco’s
compost, trash, recycle bins

20. Gill Elementary: all food, milk
cartons, paper in green
compostable bag
Bag= “Comp-lete” from
Fortune Plastics
• 15 of 30 FCSWMD schools
• Up to 89% of school lunch can
be composted
• + kitchen, classroom waste
2 yard compost dumpster:

21.  Plan for plenty of space for different types of dumpsters
 Loading docks: adequate electrical for compactors
 Pictured: One 8 yard trash dumpster and two 8 yard
organics dumpsters at Pioneer Valley Regional School,
Northfield, which has a 70% diversion rate.

22. Free resources:
 MA DEP Green Team: free recycling/ composting
equipment, activities, contests
 www.thegreenteam.org
 ACE Climate Assembly: www.acespace.org
Mass DEP SMRP Grants:
 School districts
 School organics

23.  5 eateries, 1 shared compost dumpster
 Cost is prorated according to volume
 SFABA and FCSWMD manage program
 Shredded paper: Mirick Insurance, Trailside Health (free)
 Bridge of Flowers: garden waste (free)

25.  EPA and MassDEP: less than 5% food waste is
currently diverted from disposal.
 MA could increase diversion by 1 million tons.
 MassDEP Solid Waste Master Plan:
 2014: Waste Ban on Commercial Food Waste
 Need more infrastructure for implementation
 MassDEP Sustainable Materials Recovery Program
Grant:
 New regional Anaerobic Digester and/or Food Waste
Composting Projects
 $500,000

26.  www.recyclingworksma.com
 FREE – assists businesses and institutions to
maximize recycling, reuse, and composting
opportunities.
 “Find-A-Recycler” database
Pedal People,
Northampton’s
bike powered
waste haulers

27. Western MA:
 Triple T Trucking: dumpsters
 $70/ 2 yd., $130/ 4 yd., p/u weekly
 Alternative Recycling: toters
 Allied Waste: dumpsters
Eastern MA:
 Save That Stuff, Cambridge/ Boston
 EL Harvey, Central/ Eastern MA
 Black Earth Hauler, North Shore
Compost Facilities:
 www.findacomposter.com
 Sumner Martinson, MassDEP
 Your DEP Municipal Assistance Coordinator (MAC)

28. Waste Diversion: public spaces,
special events

29.  25,000 attendees, 4 days
 2011 Fair: 29% diversion rate
 50% savings: disposal costs

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

31. Shelburne Falls and
Northampton MA:
MassCor: $170 each
Green Communities:
Big Belly solar trash
compactor / recycle
bin
RecycleAway.com:
Bins for municipalities

32. Amy Donovan
Program Director
Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
50 Miles Street
Greenfield, MA 01301
(413) 772-2438
amy@franklincountywastedistrict.org
www.franklincountywastedistrict.org