2009 Annual Town Report 

The Solid Waste District was formed in 1989 to help Franklin County towns manage all aspects of their solid waste – recyclables, organics, hazardous waste, wastewater treatment sludge, and trash. We continue to provide assistance to the twenty-one member towns through administrative support, professional consultation, trainings, and outreach to residents and businesses.

The downturn in the economy resulted in less trash and recycling tonnage in 2009. Both decreased by approximately 10% in 2009. District residents still showed their commitment to recycling by diverting 2,100 tons of paper and 1,200 tons of mixed containers from regional disposal facilities. The 3,300 tons of recycling was processed at the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility. Although recycling market prices were low in 2009, District towns received the contract guarantee of $15.67 per ton of recyclables.

In 2009, the District sponsored a spring and fall “Clean Sweep” collection for bulky items, electronics, tires, appliances, and anything too big to fit into a trash bag. Over 89 tons of material was recycled or disposed of from the two collections.

We also held our annual household hazardous waste collection in September 2009. This event allows residents to properly dispose of toxic cleaners, automotive products, pesticides, and other toxic products. Over 300 households participated in this event.

We continue to work with public schools to improve their recycling programs as well as to implement programs to collect food waste for composting. The District also provides hands-on assistance to businesses and institutions that want to recycle or compost their waste. Recycling and composting assistance was also provided to 30 public events, including the Franklin County Fair.

The District was involved in a feasibility study to identify closed municipal landfills that could support the installation of solar photovoltaic panels. This is an exciting project that could generate alternative energy on otherwise unusable property. Further exploration of this option will occur in 2010.    

If you have questions about District programs, call us at 772-2438, visit our website at www.franklincountywastedistrict.org or visit us at 50 Miles Street in Greenfield.