Massachusetts town sees success with food waste collection program

The town of Bourne, Massachusetts, has collected 1,500 pounds of food waste this year as part of its food waste collection program.

As reported by The Enterprise, the food waste collection and composting program is overseen by the town’s Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) facility. Phil Goddard, the town’s manager of facility compliance and technology development, briefed the Bourne recycling committee at its meeting March 8 regarding the program’s growth over the past few months.

According to Goddard, more residents have been joining ISWM’s composting efforts, which are supported by Black Earth Compost, a Massachusetts-based company that specializes in handling organic waste collection.

Residents and property owners can bring food waste and scraps to the collection center in town for composting through the program, and participants are asked to follow stringent guidelines to prevent contaminants from entering composting carts provided by Black Earth.

Given the program’s success, Goddard is hopeful about the program’s continued growth. He soon hopes to expand the food waste program to Bourne Public Schools. He says Bourne Middle School’s facilities and kitchen staff have been working to fill up a compost cart each week, using kitchen waste such as food scraps from preparation and leftovers from the kitchen.

In a memorandum published by the Cape Cod Commission in September 2021, it was found that roughly 36 percent of the town’s waste stream by mass could be recovered for composting or digestion—representing about 30,000 tons annually.

Goddard says ISWM is not currently equipped to handle these kinds of tonnages, but the county is looking into siting a regional food waste composting facility.

“There is [a] discussion with the county,” he tells The Enterprise. “They presented at the military community civilian council meetings with the base to partner on a location that is remote that could take some food waste from the base, as well as the Upper Cape at least. So, we’ll see where that goes.”

With increasing regional interest, the county will continue exploring its options for a regional food composting site. Until then, Goddard says Bourne will continue its diversion efforts with Black Earth and work on expanding the program to residents and the town’s schools.