County Department of Public Works staff presented a proposal to pilot baling of cardboard and higher‑value plastics at one or more transfer stations to reduce disposal costs and capture revenue, and the committee approved a budget transfer to cover overtime associated with recent hauling operations.
Scott, a solid‑waste program staffer, told the committee the working group recommends starting with cardboard — the most uniform commodity at transfer stations — and then evaluating plastics No. 1 and 2. He said the county pays roughly $90 per ton to transfer recyclables now and that connecting directly to buyers or using a third‑party marketplace could reduce that cost and produce revenue.
Staff said the county applied for an EPA grant for a larger recyclables facility (application amount referenced as $1,400,000) and that, if awarded, the project buildout would be more than a year out. In the interim, staff proposed a smaller pilot: lease a baler, centralize baling at a county location, and test cardboard and higher‑value plastics at a few transfer stations.
On estimated commodity values presented by staff, cardboard was estimated at about 4 cents per pound and plastics No. 1 and 2 at about 16 cents and 12 cents per pound, respectively. Using January–June haul data extrapolated to a year, staff estimated approximately $24,000 in potential annual revenue from cardboard and additional value from plastics; after avoided disposal costs and a 5% fee to a marketplace partner (named in the packet as Replenish), staff estimated a rough net benefit in the low‑to‑mid tens of thousands annually depending on scale and assumptions.
Committee members raised concerns about contamination, the need for public education, staffing at smaller town transfer stations to monitor loads, the volatility of commodity markets, and where to site baling equipment. Scott and other staff said Replenish can offer longer purchase terms (three‑ to seven‑year guarantees) to reduce market uncertainty, track commodity destinations, and lease balers (staff cited a lease cost example of about $10,000–$11,000 per year for certain models).
The committee unanimously approved a separate resolution to transfer funds to cover overtime pay for hauling operations; staff characterized that as a routine budget adjustment reflecting early operating “bumps” while hauling operations scaled up. No formal vote was taken to start the pilot; staff were asked to return with more detailed cost‑benefit analysis, projected payback times for baler equipment, and variance scenarios that show market volatility over multi‑year contract terms.
On compost and food scraps, staff reported the compost pilot contract is routing through the state financial system and that the parcel selected required a state wetland review (a 90‑day determination). Staff said the grant term for the compost pilot is five years and that, if approvals proceed, collection could begin in a few months. Staff also reminded the committee that the state’s large‑generator food scrap thresholds were scheduled to decrease over time: currently two tons per week, dropping to one ton in 2027 and to 0.5 tons in 2029, which will expand the number of regulated generators and the market for organics processing.
There was no final committee action to start the recyclables pilot; staff will return with a more detailed analysis and potential pilot locations.