March 6, 2024
Dear Mayor Sisitsky,
Recommendation
As requested in your State of the City address, we, the Mayor’s Composting Task Force, suggest a multifaceted approach to compostable waste that will cost the city $200 and have cost saving benefits of up to $28,000 per year and includes a concerted effort to engage the whole of our diverse community. This aligns with our objective to help determine and support the best strategy for food waste diversion for the City that is fiscally responsible, and in line with the State’s solid waste goals.
This will include:
- Increasing resident use of private curbside collection via promotion and incentives
- Providing centralized collection at Framingham’s recycling center
- Promoting backyard composting of food waste
- Expanding school cafeteria composting efforts
Requests for Mayoral Action
- Expedite a preferred vendorship for Black Earth Compost as an organics collection company pending approval by acting chief financial officer.
- Approve the support of the multifaceted waste diversion approach using existing Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) funds for no net cost to the City.
- Approve applying for Wheeled Organics Cart grant funds.
Budget Impacts
| Program | Cost | Estimated Grant Funds Available | Existing DPW Recycling Dividends Program (RDP) | Net Budget Request | Estimated Cost Offset |
| Curbside collection pilot (700 carts and bags) | $23,072 – $25,200 | $14,000 MassDEP Wheeled Organics Carts grants | $9,072- $11,200 | $0 | $21,528 Reduced Tipping Fees (with 700 additional subscribers) |
| Centralized collection (1-2x per week) | $9,360 – $10,400 | $0 | $9,360 – $10,400 | $0 | $7,000 additional RDP funds |
| One additional school cafeteria composting | $3,108 | $0 | $3,108 | $0 | |
| Backyard composting (approx. 45 bins) | $1,125 | $0 | $1,125 | $0 | |
| Translation, Education and Outreach | $200 | $0 | $200 |
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Funding Opportunities
There are many opportunities to offset the cost of the proposed programs using grant funds.
The RDP is a grant from MassDEP that Framingham already participates in. We are awarded funds each year for satisfying certain sustainability initiatives. We were awarded over $55,000 this most recent grant cycle, and these funds roll over if they are not spent in the FY. Currently the RDP account has ample funds to purchase the curbside starter kits while we await reimbursement from the MassDEP’s Wheeled Organics Cart Grant. That grant cycle opens at the end of April. It provides for reimbursement of $20 per cart.
RDP funds are also eligible to be used to support school composting initiatives and outreach/education programs.
Curbside Collection
The task force researched options for private curbside collection companies and found Black Earth Compost to be the best option for a preferred vendor based upon reputation, reliability and pricing. Each household pays for their compostable materials to be picked up at a projected cost of $140-$165 per year based upon the current density of 371 subscribers. With the addition of the 700 subscribers from this pilot program this annual cost will be further reduced to $110-$140 per year once we reach 1,000 subscribers in Framingham.
Proposed Pilot: The City of Framingham provides starter kits (wheeled compost cart and bags) for 700 residents in FY25 using existing Recycling Dividend Funds.
As approximately 20%-30% of waste from households in the program would be diverted, tipping fees for waste disposal will be reduced, saving the city approximately $20,000 annually per 700 households, at current rates. We believe the initial investment could be covered by funds the Department of Public Works has received from the Recycling Dividends Program. In order to move forward, preferred vendor status must be approved by the city.
New households subscribing to a year of curbside composting service through Black Earth, in addition to receiving a free starter kit from the city of Framingham, will also receive 3 months of service for free, courtesy of Black Earth.
In distributing the free starter kits, the task force is committed to engaging non-English speaking communities within Framingham to ensure equitable application of the program. In support of this we ask that the city provide $200 in funding for translation services and promotion.
To increase the subscriptions, the compost task force looks forward to working closely with the city to promote this opportunity including vocal support from the mayor, a multi-lingual flier included with the tax or water bill sent by the town, social media outreach, and press coverage. In Newton, similar efforts saw a 150% increase in subscribers from 400 to over 1000.
Based on the success of the pilot program, we would recommend the city requests an earmark from the state to fund an additional 1000 starter kits in FY26. Brookline recently received such an earmark for $30,000 via Senator Cynthia Creem.
Centralized Collection
Having food waste drop off available at the recycling center will support households who do not choose to subscribe to curbside composting. For a startup fee of $50, the city would have 10, 64-gallon bins available for residential drop off during regular recycling center hours. The waste would be picked up either weekly or twice weekly by Black Earth Compost. The addition of this drop-off option would earn the city two additional points from MassDEP’s RDP grant at $3,500 per point, for an additional $7,000 annually. We cannot estimate engagement in this program at this time, but we expect this would also reduce waste tipping fees for the city. Please see options in Appendix B.
Backyard Composting
Currently the city offers backyard composters at cost to all residents, available for purchase at the recycling center. In the past 3 years residents have purchased approximately 45 composters per year from the city (42 in FY23, 45 in FY22, and 51 FY21). Backyard composting is a wonderful practice for many home gardeners but is not a practical option for all residents, due to lack of a suitable yard, limited strength or mobility, or available time. Nor does it allow for composting a full suite of organics, including bones, turkey carcasses, fats and spoiled food, that are composted by curbside composting operations.
The Composting Task Force advises the promotion of backyard composters for those with the space and ability to do so. Education and outreach might be done via the library learning series, local gardening clubs and sustainability groups. through education and outreach utilizing existing staff, volunteer efforts, and minimal funds if any. Vermicomposting (worms) is also a possibility for limited food scrap diversion for some residences.
School Cafeteria Composting
A volunteer driven cafeteria composting pilot program at Dunning Elementary has proven to be an incredible success in empowering students and engaging the community. The students are motivated to act as leaders and encourage one another to compost in the cafeteria, are interested in the science behind compost, and have proven themselves to be more than 90% effective at separating food waste from trash. Community members from both Hemenway and McCarthy have expressed interest in starting their own cafeteria composting programs. The Youth Council Environmental Subcommittee energetically supports cafeteria composting expansion to all schools in Framingham and several high school students have advocated for composting at FHS. Currently the pilot program at Dunning costs $84 per week, for a total of $3,108 in a 37 week school year.
We recommend allocating RDP funds to establish an additional composting program in one or more schools per year. The following year, the school would include funding for the continuation of the project in their budget.
The Composting Task Force looks forward to continuing this conversation and we thank you for your time and attention. We would be pleased to have your response at our meeting on March 20 at 6:00pm.
Sincerely,
Mayor’s Composting Task Force
Leora Mallach, Chair
Eve Carey, Mike Croci, Erin Ellsworth, Darren Guertin, Janet Leombruno, Bob Lewis, Lincoln Lynch IV, Aimee Powelka, Heather Smith, Mike Tarselli, Diana Zimmerman-Porter
APPENDIX A
We have seen other municipalities succeed in encouraging public engagement with private curbside composting through pilot programs funded by the city that provide a certain number of subscriptions and/or a free starter kit (wheeled compost cart and bags). Options for sourcing the starter kits include having Black Earth manage delivery directly to residents or purchasing in bulk from Black Earth or Orbis and distributing through the Department of Public Works.
| Initial Cost, Grant Funds, and Estimated Annual Savings of Providing Curbside Composting Starter Kits to 700 Households | ||||||
| Bin sourcing and delivery options | Cost per Starter Kit | Cost Total | Grant Reimbursement | RDP Funds | Savings in first year* | Estimated Annual savings* |
| Source: Black Earth Delivery: DPW | $34.50 | $24,150 | $14,000 | $10,150 | $11,378 | $21,528 |
| Source: Black Earth Delivery: Black Earth | $36.00 | $25,200 | $14,000 | $11,200 | $10,328 | $21,528 |
| Source: Orbis Delivery: DPW | $32.96 | $23,072 | $14,000 | $9,072 | $12,456 | $21,528 |
*Framingham has an average of 18,400 Tons of Trash annually from 17,500 Households, therefore 1.051 tons of trash per household, our tipping fee is currently $117 per ton or $123.02 Tipping per household annually. Food waste comprises 20%-30% of household trash which results in $30.75 less paid in tipping fees by the city per household annually or $21,528 saved annually per 700 households composting with private curbside composting.
APPENDIX B
| Pickups | Weekly cost | Yearly Cost | RDP Grant Funds Reimbursement | Total Cost After Reimbursement |
| 1 x Week | $180 | $9,360 | $7,000 | $2,360 |
| 2 x Week | $200 | $10,400 | $7,000 | $3,400 |