Upcoming Events
Solid Waste Municipal Contracting SeminarJanuary 8th in Wilmington, MA This is a FREE seminar that will cover topics related to solid waste contracts. RSVP to Emily Martin at Emily.Martin@state.ma.us or 617.348.4004
DEP Mandantory Recycling Enforcement Coordinator Workshop (flyer)
January 15, 2013, 10am-1pm MassDEP Northeast Regional Offfice, 205G Lowell St, Wilmington, MA
RSVP to Emily Martin at Emily.Martin@state.ma.us or 617.348.4004 by January 11th Enforcing a local mandatory recycling bylaw or ordinance has been shown to decrease solid waste tonnage up to 10% within one year. This workshop will cover mandatory recycling bylaws/ordinances, how to start a program, outreach and education, enforcement materials, fining structures, tracking setout rates and methods of enforcement. Massachusetts Municipal Association Annual Meeting and Trade Show January 25 and 26, 2013
Hynes Convention Center and Sheraton Boston Hotel
The two-day event features educational workshops, nationally recognized speakers, awards programs, a large trade show, and an opportunity to network with municipal officials from across the state. (For more details and to register, click here)
Community Forum for Lower Cape Recycling Committees SAVE THE DATE February 13, 10am A community forum hosted by the Community Development Partnership on solid waste and recycling issues facing towns from Provicetown to Harwich. It will be an excellent opportunity for collaboration between recycling commitees on the outer cape.
More details coming soon. MassDEP Deadline for Public Comment February 15, 2013 is the deadline for public comment on the proposed changes in Revised Draft Solid Waste Master Plan. Read More. 2013 MassRecycle Recycling & Organics Conference & Trade Show Details coming soon, check MassRecycle's website for details
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Upcoming Household Hazardous Waste Collection Days :
Stay tuned for the 2013 schedule.
However, if you have materials you need to dispose of and need information, please call 508-375-6698 or Click here for the Cooperative Extension website
|
If a business needs help setting up a recycling program- you now have a number to give them. Call (888) 254-5525 or email info@RecyclingWorksMA.com The Recycling Works program is run by the Center for Eco Technology, under a contract with MassDEP. Click here to learn how to install the RecyclingWorks widget on your local website. |
Funded in part through a grant from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protections
|
|
|
|
2013 Requests for Technical Assistance
For technical assistance related to any solid waste or recycling issues, please contact me to schedule a meeting to discuss your project at dquinn@barnstablecounty.org or (508) 375-6974.
|
|
Updates from around the Cape
As we enter a new year, more and more towns on the Cape are thinking about the future of their solid waste and recycling programs and how they can reduce waste and lower their disposal costs over the long-term. This is an important regional issue with plenty of opportunity for collaboration between towns. Here's a brief look at some solid waste news from around the Cape.
Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT) continues to be a topic of discussion with several towns on the cape at various stages of analyzing the program. Statewide,136 municipalities have a PAYT system for trash disposal in which residents pay per-unit for the amount of trash they generate, creating an incentive to reduce trash and increase recycling. On the Cape, Sandwich is the only town with a PAYT program, which was implemented in 2011.
On January 14th, the Brewster Recycling Commission will host a community forum at Town Hall to discuss its PAYT proposal and take questions and feedback from residents. On January 29th, the Chatham Solid Waste Advisory Task Force plans to present its findings and recommendations to the Board of Selectmen. In Barnstable, the Renewable Energy Committee met with several community groups this fall to talk about its proposal to the Town Council for a curbside PAYT system. The Town Council also plans to hold a DPW/Solid Waste Division workshop on January 31st to broadly discuss solid waste management issues in town. Dennis and Eastham have both formed committees to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of PAYT as an alternative to the current fee structure at their transfer stations.
Diverting food scraps and other organic materials from the waste stream is another important challenge for the Cape. The Chatham Transfer Station has teamed up with the Watts Family Farm to offer organics collection bins for residents. Through this pilot project, residents can drop off compostable materials in two toters located near the recycling center at the transfer station. The material is then picked up and transported to a composting facility run by the Watts Family Farm. Through funding from DEP, The Town of Wellfleet is also developing a project to work with local restaurants to divert more food scraps from the waste stream.
In an effort to foster discussion between towns, I'll be teaming up with the Community Development Partnership in Eastham on the morning of February 13th, to host to a community forum for members of Recycling or Solid Waste Committees from Outer Cape towns, from Provincetown to Harwich. It will be a great chance for residents working on solid waste issues to meet and collaborate with their peers in neighboring towns. Stay tuned for more details.
|
|
Sandwich Wins National Award for Waste Reduction
American City and  County Magazine has awarded the Town of Sandwich with a 2012 Crown Community Award for its successful waste reduction program. Recipients of the annual awards are selected by the editors of American City & County based on nominations submitted by the magazine's audience, city and county leaders, and associations. In the December issue ( p. 23), the magazine describes the reduced trash volume and costs savings that have been achieved since the implementation of pay-as-you-throw in 2011.
|
|
Recycling & Solid Waste Surveys
CY 2012 surveys are now available online.
 Please take a few minutes to fill out the online survey with your 2012 trash and recycling numbers. Click Here to login to Re-TRAC Connect and complete the survey. If you lost your username or password, contact Tina Klein at DEP at tina.klein@state.ma.us.
All municipalities are encouraged to complete this annual survey. Please note that completing the survey is a pre-requisite to submitting a Sustainable Materials Recovery Program Municipal grant application. The application will be available by mid-April, 2013. If you have any questions, please let me know at dquinn@barnstablecounty.org.
|
|
New Recycling Listserv
There is a new listserv for people involved in managing recycling and waste reduction programs in Massachusetts.
The new listserv has been created to facilitate communication and enable sharing of experiences, questions, information, ideas and wisdom about municipal, school, business, and institutional recycling, composting, waste reduction, EPR, Zero Waste and more.
To join the new listserv go to https://groups.google.com/d/forum/recycle-ma (you will need to already have a google account or sign up for one to join this way), or send an email requesting you be added to the listserv to Ann Dorfman at dorfmanann@comcast.net or Tessa David at recycle@charter.net.
Please help us expand the listserv membership by forwarding this email to others you know who would be interested in joining.
|
|
Public Comment on Change to DEP Solid Waste Master Plan
MassDEP is seeking public comment on one substantive change to its Solid Waste Master Plan that has been modified since the 2010 Draft. The Draft Solid Waste Master Plan was originally published for public comment in June 2010. The Revised Draft Plan and Appendices are available for review on the MassDEP web site at www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/priorities/dswmpu01.htm. Following completion of this comment period, MassDEP will publish a Final Plan, along with a Final Response to Comments Document.
The change in the Revised Draft Plan, for which MassDEP now seeks comment, is a limited modification of the municipal solid waste combustion moratorium, which is described on pages 46-47 of the Revised Draft Plan. MassDEP proposes to modify the moratorium on municipal solid waste combustion to encourage innovative and alternative technologies (e.g., gasification or pyrolysis) for converting municipal solid waste to energy or fuel on a limited basis.
Please note that comments received previously on other aspects of the Draft Master Plan do not need to be resubmitted, and MassDEP is not reopening those other parts of the Draft Plan for comment. Click here to read the full DEP Press Release
|
Best,
Dave Quinn
Regional Waste Reduction Coordinator,
Barnstable County
dquinn@barnstablecounty.org
(508) 375-6974
|
|
|
