Our area’s rising trash tonnage and stagnating recycling rates mirror nationwide trends.  The SSRC and others are going public with the message that how we manage our waste affects our budgets, our health and our environment.

              SSRC goes on the air…

                If you tuned in to WATD 95.9 fm or WJDA 1300 am during the two weeks in mid-November, you may have heard Holbrook Selectman Jeff Lowe extolling the virtues of recycling and the SSRC.  With matching funds from American Ref-Fuel at SEMASS, the two stations played his five-one minute ads 68 times during those weeks.  SSRC Chairman Merle Brown, Vice Chairman Steve Herrmann and Executive Director Claire Sullivan also got to talk trash at the mike during on-air interviews with WATD’s Recycling Queen Liz Raven and WJDA morning host Joe Catalano. 

                Our five ads, in print on our website, explain the benefits and convenience of recycling at home, the South Shore Business Recycling Partnership, how to manage mercury, computer and cell phone recycling, and dead battery management. The ED distributed CD recordings of the ads at the December Board meeting, suggesting that they be played at transfer stations as recommended by Duxbury reps last month.  Copies are still available.

…And will again, with two grants

                The SSRC will broadcast a bigger and better round of radio and print ads in time for Earth Day in April.  The Board requested a $7,400 Municipal Recycling Grant for a “media blitz” from DEP in the fall, and was awarded $2,400 of it, plus 60 hours of Technical Assistance from Rosemary Nolan. The scope remains to be negotiated, but the amount granted would cover at least 42-one minute ads on the south shore’s powerful WPLM 99.1 fm.

                Some of the ads will again feature information about the hazards and proper disposal of mercury products, so much of the blitz will be funded with unspent money from SEMASS’ 2004 Material Separation Plan.  This grant money will likely be used to fund over 100 minutes of ads and on-air interviews on WATD and WJDA, and concurrent print ads in all the local Mariners and Express newspapers.                    . . .more Recycling on the Air at the end of the News

Abandoned waste requirements

                Most towns find themselves in possession of chemical “gifts” that residents leave at the gate when nobody is looking.  These abandoned wastes become both a liability and health and safety risk to municipal staff, most commonly DPW workers.  Proper storage and management is a fairly simple matter, and can help a town avoid EPA fines, DEP Notices of Noncompliance, property damage and worker’s compensation claims. 

                The ED reviewed proper management practices, and gave out signs and a summary of storage requirements for abandoned hazardous waste at the November Board meeting (call if you need a copy).  She recommended that sticky labels be kept near waste to record dates of accumulation.  A secure storage area must be labeled “Danger:  Hazardous  Waste” and include DEP’s 24 hour emergency response number, 888-304-1133.  Incompatible chemicals, such as pool chemicals (oxidizers) and flammables, should be kept in separate cabinets.  Dan Peters of SEMASS offered to do a training, and pointed out that DEP is planning more inspections of solid waste facilities.  The ED reminded managers that Natick was hit with a $137,000 fine by the EPA for improper storage of chemicals three years ago, and encouraged towns registered as VSQGs to deliver abandoned waste to regional HHP collections at least once a year, preferably twice.  Quantities in excess of 55 gallons should be removed directly from the site by a licensed contractor such as Clean Harbors (800-444-4244), Onyx (508-804-4806), or Jones Environmental (800-585-7916).

A/C PCBs

     Towns that have Freon re-moved from appli-ances on site are reminded that be-fore scrapping air conditioners, you must ensure that the PCB capaci-tors are removed.  Until they are, the AC is considered “hazardous waste” with its associated liability.                   N

Fee restrictions

       The Town of Franklin’s solid waste program is under fire for the way it administers its trash fee.  An absentee property owner was unable to have his trash fee abated, and is suing the town for calling it a fee when he asserts that it is a tax.  At the December Board meeting, the ED clarified the legal criteria for setting fees, and advised managers to be prepared to either defend their fee structure or to modify it if their residents raise the issue. 

       To be considered a fee, 1) it can only benefit the party paying the fee, 2) the payer must have the option to decline the service, and 3) the fees must only cover the cost of providing the service, and not be used to raise revenue for other items.  Of greatest concern are the use of revenues from trash fees to pay for municipal building trash, the ability of property owners to opt out of the fee based system and the concomitant difficulty of haulers to keep track of who receives service, and fees for specific items that don’t reflect the actual cost of their administration, handling and disposal. Reprints of two Globe West articles on the subject were distributed, and are available through the ED, along with an updated schedule of MSW fees assessed by SSRC towns.

Mercury management

       SSRC solid waste managers were disappointed to learn that MSP Coordinator Sidi Mateo was leaving SEMASS in December, and her position “absorbed” by a team of SEMASS staff.  At the managers’ request, the ED sent a letter to SEMASS and DEP expressing our concern for the future of service to our towns through the MSP.  The new MSP Team Leader, Dan Peters, and supervisor Anthony Dell’Anno, met with SSRC Vice Chairman Steve Herrmann and the ED to discuss our expectations from the MSP, and to set up short and long term program assistance.  Our meeting was very productive, and we have already received a subsidy for three signs for our HHP events, one which announces the thermometer swap, as well as substantial funding for our spring media campaign (see page 1).  Mr. Peters and the ED are also putting finishing touches on a brochure promoting town-specific mercury collection pro-grams, and we will be scheduling mercury trainings for municipal staff who handle the stuff. 

      Solid waste managers are reminded to check your Universal Waste Sheds periodically to ensure that they are only used for mercury related storage, have functional spill kits, a sign with emergency phone numbers, and that fluorescent tubes are neatly contained to minimize breakage.

       SEMASS’ latest Material Separation Plan, which covers 7/04-12/06, was released last month for comment, which the ED provided.  Of note is the availability of twelve more Universal Waste Sheds to towns that don’t have one, or would like an additional one at a school or municipal building.  If interested, call Dan Peters at 508-295-2860.

       Towns that contract with SEMASS for disposal should check their AMTs, which is a tonnage allowance.  Towns that deliver below 90% of the AMT may be billed for the unused tonnage, although that has never happened in practice.  Of greater concern is that if a town goes above 110% of the AMT, the additional tonnage can be billed at the market rate, which for Tier 1 towns may be significantly more than their contract rate.  Thus, it is advisable that all towns with SEMASS contracts request upward adjustments to their AMT each January to account for population growth. 

       Also, towns should update their appointments to the Council of SEMASS Communities (COSC).  Each town should have a representative and an alternate.  The ED serves as the alternate for the Town of Weymouth, and may also serve in that capacity for other towns.  She attends most of the quarterly meetings.  SEMASS will send out written notification for this if it hasn’t done so already. 

Board gets the needle at Duxbury luncheon

            At our October meeting, the Duxbury DPW treated the Board to lunch at its swank Senior Center.  Before lunch, we discussed the appetizing subject of residential sharps and medical waste disposal, which pose a prickly problem (sorry, couldn’t resist) to generators, waste handlers and disposal facilities. 

            Proper disposal of home sharps is a confusing subject.  State agencies instruct users to put needles in a rigid container with bleach, seal it,  label it “not for recycling”, and put it out with the trash.  However, transfer stations, waste haulers, SEMASS and recycling facilities prohibit this practice, since it poses a serious health and safety risk to staff, especially if they pop open in the compactor.  Sharps are not collected by doctors or pharmacies, so the only safe option is for users such as diabetics to purchase costly mail-back sharps containers. (Go to ssrc.info, hazardous waste page about mail back options.)

            Marc Selman presented the details of State Contractor Medical Waste Disposal Company’s sharps collection services.  Selman demonstrated MWDC’s 30 gal., 18”x18”x24” lined box with special lid.  The box holds smaller containers with needles, not loose sharps.  The cost for boxes, including delivery, collection and processing, is $33.25/box, with a minimum charge of $85.  Collected material is autoclaved twice, then landfilled or incinerated.  MWDC can do scheduled or on call pickups, and can provide boxes and a manned truck at special collections, i.e. HHP events.  The town of Stoughton fills 6-12 boxes on HHP days.  The SSRC can negotiate a better price for multiple collections. 

                The ED proposed that she administer sharps collections at the regional HHP events.  With an estimated cost of $300/collection, there was the question of who would pay?  SSRC subsidy? The Board said no.  Fee for service?  Towns HHP budgets?  Would pharmacies sponsor collections? Mr. Herrmann was concerned about residents who miss the one day collection leaving materials at the gate.  Mr. Selman agreed that it may be more sensible to have a permanent collection.  The ED will look into sponsorships by local pharmacies, but it would be preferable for pharmacies to collect used sharps themselves.          We’ll revisit this soon.

SEMASS hosts meeting, tour

Former MSP Coordinator Sidi Mateo hosted breakfast and lunch at our November Board meeting and a tour of American Ref-Fuel at SEMASS, the final resting place for most of our area’s residential trash.  Tom DeMaio, SEMASS Senior Marketing Manager, discussed future prospects for contract extensions, noting that there are a wide range of contract end dates, through 2014.  Tier 1 towns are receiving automatic extensions, and new contracts will have a fixed escalator of about 3%, rather than one based on the CPI, to make budgeting easier for municipalities.  No penalties are being assessed on towns that deliver less than their Annual Minimum Tonnage (AMT), since the plant is at full capacity. He anticipates that the plant will continue to accept waste indefinitely with proper maintenance.

      Ms. Sullivan asked for clarification on the definition of AMT.  It means both minimum and maximum annual tonnage, with the minimum 10% below the specified volume, and the maximum 10% above.  Practically, it only affects pricing if a Tier 1 town delivers more than its maximum, at which point for the overage would be billed at market rate. 

     Sidi Mateo announced her December 17 departure from SEMASS.  She will start working at Onyx in January.  Engin-eer Dan Peters was introduced, and will take over her posit-ion.  He assured us that there would be no change in the level of service.  Mr. Brown thanked Sidi for her good ser-vice.  Mr. Peters has since met with EBoard members and has already begun providing assistance (see related article).

                Environmental Manager Matt Sears led a very informative tour of the facility, which also drew recycling folks from outside the cooperative thanks to MRIP Coordinator Kathi Mirza.  We learned that:

~   SEMASS has two components:  a “fuel” side where the trash is tipped sent to the boilers, and the “generator” side, where turbines convert the steam from the boilers to electricity, which is sent out to the grid. 

~   There are three boilers which are powered by the incineration of 1 million tons of trash per year.

~   Each ton of trash burned generates as much electricity as 42 gallons of oil.

~   The plant generates 600,000 MW/year.

~ 45,000 tons of metal is recovered per year, including $100,000 worth of coins.

~ The ash remaining after incineration is 10-20% of the weight of the incoming trash.

~ The condensers are cooled by leachate water collected from the ash landfill on site.

Maximum Achievable Control Technology removes most pollutants from the emissions before they go out the stack, resulting in much cleaner emissions that those generated by fossil fuel burning power plants.

Marshfield rethinks trash system

Hiring Recycling Coordinator

      Marshfield officials have been analyzing the town’s solid waste program to determine how to reduce the high volume of trash it disposes at the Seneca Meadows, NY landfill.  Marshfield provides curbside trash and recycling service to residents and businesses that pay the fee, which was $310/ year in 2003.  Ratepayers are limited to 6 barrels of nonrecyclable trash/week, and may also bring their waste to the town’s Transfer Station with a $20 sticker.  Private haulers that brought trash to the TS paid a flat fee for each load.   Otherwise, disposal at the TS was “unlimited” for ratepayers.   

        It was discovered that the six barrel limit was often ignored by both ratepayers and the hauler, and the use of the TS for disposal was being abused, which helped explain the nearly 1 ton / capita of trash disposed in Marshfield, about double the area average.  So the DPW started plugging the loopholes.  It installed a scale and is now reassess-sing a $92/ton fee for commercial trash, which more accurately reflects the cost.  The DPW also instituted a punch card system, which limits disposal at the TS to once a week.  Residents must now purchase a $15 sticker for a Freon appliance disposal, $10 for other appliances. These measures have reduced the tonnage of trash sent for disposal by an astonishing 25%.  This has enabled Marshfield to reduce its curbside trash fee from $310/year to $290. 

          Further reductions in both tonnage and fees are expected when a part time recycling coordinator is hired this month to enforce the ordinance requiring private haulers to include recycling service in their fee, and the six barrel trash limit at the curb.  The coordinator will also establish recy-cling education programs, ensure that the Town complies with State recycling regulations, and take other action to improve the Town's recycling rate from 11% to its target of 35% for both businesses and residents.

      Whitman is also looking for ways to cover or reduce its disposal costs. Residents now receive curbside service for a flat fee of $200/household, which pays for about 75% of the $1.1 million collection and disposal costs.  To make the program self-supporting, Town officials considered several options at a meeting last August, including the establishment of an Enterprise Fund, raising the flat fee, passing a mandatory recycling ordinance, subsidizing recycling through the General Fund, and Pay as You Throw. PAYT received the greatest support, with reimbursement of up to $17K for implementation offered by Joseph Lambert of the Mass. DEP.  The Town requested and received a Technical Assistance Grant from DEP to study the feasibility of PAYT, and Municipal Assistance Coordinator Kathi Mirza has been assigned to work with a committee appointed by the BOS to investigate the option.  SSRC Board members Tom Burnett, Michelle Roberts and Al Scoglio accepted the challenge of contributing their expertise to the committee.

Meet Rosemary Nolan, our new “MAC”

      Hello, and Seasons Greetings to SSRC members from Rosemary Nolan, the new “MRIP” Coordinator for your area.   Although the formal Municipal Recycling Incentive Program ended almost 2 years ago, and our title has been changed to Municipal Assis-tance Coordinator, the DEP continues to fund the regional coordinators.  I will work with municipalities to help them achieve our mutual solid waste reduction and recycling goals.  DEP still offers technical assistance grants where you can apply for consulting assistance to plan and implement new initiatives.

                I will be working out of the Marsh-field DPW, which is providing my work-space at 870 Moraine Street, Marshfield 02050. I will use a cell phone for all calls and that number is 857-204-5134.   The fax is 781-837-7163, and my email is rnolan@townofmarshfield.org.  Half of my time will be on the road working with municipalities, and I have been assigned 35 cities/towns to work with (15 of which are in the SSRC); the rest of my time will be in the office.

                I worked for the Quincy DPW for 10 years and have attended many of the same meetings with you.  My responsibilities in Quincy were solid waste, recycling and environmentally related issues.  At the present time I am setting up my new office and getting up to speed on issues.  If you would like to, please forward me any upcoming projects or goals that you would like to pursue so that I can evaluate how I may best be of service to you.  I look forward to meeting with each of you personally this winter so that we can coordinate our efforts and determine what assistance might be available for your community.   Please feel free to use me as a resource for your solid waste and recycling needs.  Have a great holiday.   

Carron re-files E-Waste Producer Responsibility bill

                Rep. Mark Carron refiled a redrafted version of the CRT Takeback bill, HD1960.  The bill is intended to require electronics producers to take financial responsibility for the end of life management of their products, and to give them incentive to design for efficient reuse, recycling and reduced toxicity of their components. 

                Clean Water Action lobbyist and SSRC Secretary John McNabb had held a summit meeting about the bill in November to hash out concerns from various quarters and improve the bill's content.  In addition to Rep. Carron (who was also named the SSRC's 3rd "Environmental Hero" for his work on this issue),  Natural Resources and Agriculture Chairman Rep. William Greene, Cambridge Mayor Michael Sullivan, Scott Cassell from Product Stewardship Institute, reps from Dell and Hewlett Packard, high level players in the EU, Canadian and Maine producer responsibility laws, local recyclers/ refurbishers including Mel King and Peter Kopcych, and a few of us municipal people participated in the discussion. 

     The bill has of implications at the manufacturing, retail, municipal, and recycling levels, and a lot of issues were fleshed out to make the bill more workable.  A difference of opinion was noted between the manufacturers, who want to retain cradle to grave control over their products, and the recyclers and reusers, who were concerned about the po-tential elimination of secondary markets due to the manu-acturers’ reluctance to allow their products to be reused. 

        Many details of implementation were added to the bill as a result of the summit, and others would be left to the manufacturers and DEP.  For more information, contact Kara Reeve at kreeve@cleanwater.org. 

Renewable Portfolio Standard

      In 2003, American Ref-Fuel at SEMASS offered to “share the wealth” with contract communities if a bill that adds existing waste-to-energy (WTE) facilities to the Renewable Port-folio Standard, or RPS, is passed. The bill, which didn’t reach a vote in last year’s legislative session, was refiled on Dec. 1 by Sen. Robert O’Leary and Rep. Vincent Pedone.  It clarifies the 1997 Electric Utility Restructuring Act, which intended to promote renewable sources of electricity, by including existing renewable sources in the Portfolio.  Passage would allow electricity produced at existing WTE facilities, including SEMASS, to be sold to local utilities at a higher rate through the use of Renewable Energy Credits. This change would guarantee that WTE facilities remain competitive with cheaper fossil fuel power suppliers, and offset municipal disposal costs.

      SEMASS and the COSC steering committee negotiated a 50% share of the net revenue from the sale of Renewable Energy Credits for contracted cities and towns in 2003 if the bill passes.

     The refiled bill has not yet been assigned a bill number, but the Council of SEMASS Communities will be supporting it through the legislative process.  COSC also encourages its member community officials to ask their legislators to support this opportunity for additional revenue.  The bill’s first stop will be the Energy Committee (617-722-2090). Waste-to-energy facilities safely process the solid waste for approximately 131 cities and towns in the Commonwealth, and represent about 50% of the solid waste disposal capacity in our state. Waste-to-energy facilities generate 250 megawatts of clean, renewable electricity.  Electricity sales help offset the trash disposal costs for communities. The sale of renewable credits will increase the electricity revenue at the plants and help to stabilize the trash disposals costs for communities. 

          The ED gives “two thumbs up” for Massachusetts' first solid waste and recycling educational video, "Recycle. A little Effort...a Big Difference - Recycling in Massachusetts.".  Mass. DEP and the City of Lawrence held a premiere screening of this 12 minute DEP-funded production at the Lawrence Showcase Cinema on Nov. 30.  The capacity crowd included Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, DEP Commissioner Bob Golledge, legislators, recycling coordinators and businesses, nonprofit organizations, and 75 Lawrence students and their teachers. The slick flick, a brainchild of Lawrence Inspectional Services Commissioner Caroline Ganley, provides viewers with a straight-forward look at the problems posed by trash and shows what to do (and what NOT to do) with the various types of trash and hazardous waste we all generate. We see why it is important to follow the recycling, composting and hazardous waste rules in our communities, and learn about the economic, environmental and public health benefits of recycling in Massachusetts.  There is even a Spanish version.

        While Lawrence is referenced briefly in the video, it is a very good, generic video that can be used by any municipality that accepts commingled recyclables.  A trailer with town specific information can also be added.

        The video was shown at the December SSRC meeting, and four copies were given to Board members, who will bring them to their schools and local cable stations.  If you would like a free copy to broadcast, please contact Ann McGovern at 617-292-5834 or ann.mcgovern@state.ma.us, and specify what format you need (VHS or DVD).

       Ask This Old House, the PBS do-it-yourself TV show, recently taped an episode on home composting featuring DEP's Ann McGovern as a guest expert. The program is due to air on February 10.  Check your local PBS listings for show times in your area.

“1. To promote sustainable management of waste, reducing the impacts of waste management on human health and the environment”        -International Solid Waste Ass’n Rome 2004 Manifesto

 I wish you all a happy and sustainable New Year!  -Claire