ZERO WASTE AMHERST

 

Many Amherst residents are unhappy that USA Waste and Recycling:

• is a large regional hauler over which we have no control, as compared to our former small, local haulers;

 

• does not provide transparent pricing that would offer incentives to reduce the amount of our trash;

 

• is charging high amounts for subscription hauling as compared to what people pay in towns with town contracts;

 

• does not provide simple services that local haulers formerly provided in basic service.

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ZWA has put forward a proposal that not only reduces our waste dramatically, but provides more services and costs less!

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Nearly half of the solid waste produced globally is organic or biodegradable. Much of it ends up in landfills; there, it decomposes in the absence of oxygen and produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is up to 34 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a century. While many landfills have some form of methane management, it is far more effective to divert organic waste and compost it..

 

Rather than generating methane, the composting process converts organic material into stable soil carbon, while retaining water and nutrients of the original waste matter. The result is carbon sequestration as well as production of a valuable fertilizer.    - Project Drawdown

 

PICTURE THIS  (WITH THE ENACTMENT OF THE BYLAW AMENDMENT PROPOSAL)

Three carts! Starting in 2026, with single family and 2-4 family units, Amherst residents would receive not just trash and recycling pick up in their basic service, but curbside compostable materials pickup as well. They would be charged by the town for those services based on a pay-as-you-throw fee structure. Everyone would pay the same basic fee for recycling and compostable materials pick up plus an additional fee depending on the amount and frequency of trash collected. Those producing less trash would pay less. The combination of a pay-as-you-throw system and diversion of compostable materials , which make up 40-50% of our trash, means you will be putting out much less trash at the curb, and will therefore pay less. 

 

The compostable materials would be processed locally and reused for enrichment of the soil in farms and gardens in the valley.

 

IF CALIFORNIA CAN DO IT, SO CAN WE

California’s law requiring universal composting went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022 with the goal of  composting 75% of organics by 2025. By doing so, the state estimates that it will reduce greenhouse gases as much as taking a million cars off the road each year. Since then other states have also banned organics in the waste stream.

 

THE PURPOSE OF THE BYLAW AMENDMENT PROPOSAL

The purpose of the bylaw amendment is to protect our environment from pollution and climate emissions, thus moving us toward achieving our state and local Zero Waste and Climate Action goals. By reducing trash, we also aim to reduce the impact on climate justice communities of “scope 3”  landfill and incinerator pollution at disposal sites. The added benefits of transparency and cost savings for both residents and the town are icing on the cake.

 

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE BYLAW AMENDMENT 

• Change from residents subscribing individually with hauling firms to the town providing directly or contracting with a single hauler.  This would require the town to request bids from hauling firms, with the RFP specifying services to be provided. Residents in towns with contracts are paying half what Amherst residents are paying for waste removal.

• Phased in program, starting with single family and 2-4 family units. Within three years, including apartment complexes, multi-family residences, businesses and homeowners associations.

• Universal curbside pickup of compostable materials (three toters)

• A Pay as you throw fee structure. (A standard fee for recycling and compostable materials pick up, plus an additional fee based on how much trash is collected or how many trash bags used.) 

• Local compost processing and reuse (most likely at Martin’s Farm in Greenfield)

 

CURRENT STATUS OF PROPOSAL FOR A BYLAW AMENDMENT AS OF 3/2025

In June of 2024, in an effort to move the proposal forward faster, the Town Services and Outreach Committee of the Town Council voted unanimously to recommend that the Council request the Manager to issue an Request for Proposals to haulers to find out the cost of implementing the proposal. In November, the Council unanimously recommended the Manager do so. As of 3/2025, the Manager Paul Bockelman is in the process of producing a draft RFP which he will bring back to the TSO Committee.

 

ENDORSEMENTS

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• Amherst Board of Health

• Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee

• Amherst League of Women Voters

• Amherst Common Share Food Coop

• Climate Action Now Western MA

• Mothers Out Front, Amherst

• UMass Student Farming Enterprise

• Sunrise Amherst

• Hitchcock Center for the Environment

• Progressive Coalition of Amherst

• Grow Food Amherst

• UUSG Green Sanctuary Committee

• Zero Waste Central Valley

• Amherst Bilingual Studio

• Sierra Club, MA Chapter

• Community Action Works (Formerly Toxics Action Center)  

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WHAT YOU CAN DO

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The proposal is widely supported but has been moving very slowly. Amherst residents can support Zero Waste by contacting the Town Council to urge that it be fast tracked by using this form.

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See Zero Waste Amherst on Facebook          

Contact us as ZWAmherst@gmail.com    

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