TALKING TRASH

Weston’s Household Waste Trend

Household Waste Disposal FY2003 thru FY2011

Fiscal Year Tons2011 2,1002010 2,1472009 2,1912008 2,3412007 2,5122006 2,6032005 2,5112004 2,5312003 2,481

Weston’s Recycling Trend

Recycling at the Transfer Station FY2003 thru FY2011

Fiscal Year Tons Recycled % of Waste Stream

FY2011 972 31.6%FY2010 1,040 32.6%FY2009 1,069 32.8%FY2008 1,138 32.7%FY2007 1,144 31.3%FY2006 1,166 30.9%FY2005 1,125 30.6%FY2004 1,102 30.4% FY2003 1,126 30.2%

Tonnage Trend FY2005-2011

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

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Total S/WTrashRecycling

Transfer Station Permits FY05-11

FY2011 1,802FY2010 1,721 FY2009 1,669FY2008 1,659FY2007 1,712FY2006 1,676FY2005 1,734

Number of Permits in Relation to Household Waste and Recycling Tonnage

FY2005 FY2006 FY2007 FY2008 FY2009 FY2010 FY20110

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Cost* to Dispose of Household Waste

FY 2012 Solid Waste Disposal Rates:

• Solid Waste Disposal = $72.48 per Ton

• Solid Waste Transportation = $28.50 per Ton

Total: $100.98 per Ton*

*not including Transfer Station overhead or payroll

Trash Disposal Costs* FY2006-2011

Fiscal Year Cost per TonFY2011 $99.63FY2010 $96.63FY2009 $95.87FY2008 $114.95FY2007 $133.10FY2006 $127.57

*trash disposal costs include waste facility tipping fees and hauling transportation. Does not include Transfer Station overhead or payroll.

Cost* or Gain of Recycling FY2012

Product Net Cost/Ton Net Gain/TonCardboard $5Mixed Paper $5Newspaper $25 Glass $86Metal/Aluminum/Tin Cans $220Plastic $74Computers $0Televisions/CRT $10 per unitFreon (CFC) Appliances $0

*Cost to the Town highlighted in red

Net Cost* To Recycle FY2006-2011

Fiscal Year Cost per Ton

2011 $27.912010 $26.07 2009 $32.11 2008 $5.452007 $15.762006 $24.81

*A weighted average cost per ton of all DEP mandated recyclables inclusive of all recycling processing fees, material hauling and recycling revenue and does not include Transfer Station overhead and payroll. Also does not include yard waste.

What product is recycled the most?

Product % of Total Recycling

Cardboard/Mixed Paper 33% Newspaper 26%Glass 15%Metal/Tin/Aluminum 10% Plastic 8% Electronics/TV’s 3%Textiles 2%Freon (CFC) Based Appliances 2%

33%

26%

15%

10%

8%

3% 2% 2%

Distribution of Recycled materials

Cardboard/mixed paper

Newspaper

Glass

Metal

Plastic

Electronics

Textiles

Freon

Town Building Recycling Initiative

In August of 2007 the DPW began to offer recycling pick-up at all municipal buildings including schools. The following is the amount processed:

FY2011 52 TonsFY2010 50.6 TonsFY2009 49.3 TonsFY2008 43.6 Tons

Where does our trash go?

Weston’s trash is hauled to the Wheelabrator Waste to Energy Facility in Milbury, MA. The solid waste is incinerated on conveyor like grates that reduces all waste to a fine ash. The ash is eventually disposed of at a landfill in Shrewsbury, MA. Air scrubbers and an elaborate filtering system eliminate all hazardous toxins and carbons from entering the atmosphere during this process. Any ferrous materials in the waste will settle out and then can then be recycled. The heat from this incineration is utilized to produce steam that drives generators to produce electricity that is purchased by the local utility. This facility serves 30 communities in MA and can process up to 1,500 tons of solid waste per day and generate 46,000 kilowatts of renewable energy, the equivalent of supplying the electrical needs of 57,000 homes.

Where does our recycling go?

Cardboard: is taken to E.L. Harvey in Westborough, MA, compacted into one ton bales and shipped to Rand Whitney Corp. in Connecticut and converted back to usable cardboard boxes.

Mixed Paper: is taken to E.L. Harvey in Westborough, MA, compacted and then shipped to Visi Technologies in Staten Island, NY. It is then processed into “box board” and “chip board” and used in boxes for cereal, various food products and other types of packaging.

Newspaper: is taken to E.L. Harvey in Westborough, MA and baled. It is then sent to various paper pulping facilities that will convert it back to future editions of newspapers.

Where does our recycling go? CONT…..

Glass: is taken to Container Recycling Alliance Mfg. in Franklin, MA and sorted by color and processed into “collet” pellets. The pellets are sold to bottle makers and formulated into new bottles.

Plastic: is taken to E.L. Harvey in Westborough, MA, sorted by type, baled and then sold to different recyclers. Some examples are:PET plastic: soda bottles are utilized in making fiber for carpets.HDPE plastic: milk jugs are utilized in the making of children’s toys, detergent bottles are utilized in the manufacturing of new detergent bottles and other non-food containing plastic vessels.

Where does our recycling go? CONT…..

Metals : are removed by Framingham Salvage Co. of Framingham, MA and are sorted at their facility;Ferrous metals: (iron, steel) are brought to a mill in Taunton, MA and shredded. From there they are containerized and sold for the highest price to iron markets in Turkey, China and even the USA.Aluminum: is sorted, shredded and sold in the same manner.

Freon (CFC) Based Appliances: the freon (CFC) is evacuated and captured for disposal and the appliance is recycled.

Textiles: used clothing goes to charities, unusable items are made into usable rags.

Where does our recycling go? CONT…..

• Electronic Components: are taken to CRT Recycling Inc. in Brockton, MA dismantled, sorted and usable computer parts, accessories and consumer electronics are sold as usable marketable items. All remaining waste (metal and plastic) is recycled and any toxic elemental waste is disposed according to environmental regulations.

• CRT’s/Televisions: are taken to CRT Recycling, Inc. in Brockton, MA where they are either repaired or stripped of usable parts and marketed. All remaining waste is recycled or disposed in the same manner as electronic components.

*98.5% of electronics and CRT’s are recycled

What happens to our yard waste?

Yard waste, branches and brush brought to the Transfer Station are hauled to the Town’s Brush Dump on Merriam Street. This debris along with other DPW generated organic material (leaves, trees etc.) are sorted into different piles. The trees, branches and brush are ground up in a tub grinder 2 times a year and the resulting wood chips are trucked up to a waste to energy plant in Maine. Vegetative debris (grass, leaves etc.) are stockpiled and composted into a nutrient rich loam product that is used on many Town projects and also made available to residents at the Transfer Station.

CAN WE RECYCLE MORE?Photo taken recently at the Transfer Station compactor #1 and shows additional material that can be recovered with minimal effort.

DOES THE EASE OF DISPOSAL PREVENT US FROM RECYCLING MORE?This is Transfer Station compactor pit #2 on the same day.