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Barnstable County presents proof‑of‑concept plan for Upper Cape composting facility with Joint Base Cape Cod
Summary
Barnstable County staff and consultants presented a final draft feasibility study for a coastal community composting facility to accept food scraps from the Upper Cape, describing a 5,000‑ton food waste core, two potential base sites, estimated capital costs of $3–4 million, and about a two‑year permitting timeline.
Barnstable County officials and consultants on March 26 presented a final draft feasibility study for a coastal community composting facility intended to accept food scraps from the Upper Cape, including Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich, and material from Joint Base Cape Cod.
The study, prepared by SES Engineers and presented by Greg McCarron, estimates a core capacity of about 5,000 tons of food scraps per year mixed with roughly 7,000 tons of woody materials for a total of about 12,000 tons per year and sizes the site footprint at roughly 4–5 acres for initial operations. “We were hired by the county to prepare the feasibility study for the coastal community compost facility,” McCarron said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Cape Cod currently lacks large local compost capacity for residential and commercial food waste. County staff and local towns said that diverting organics could reduce solid‑waste disposal costs and keep valuable soil amendments on the Cape rather than shipping them long distances.
Study highlights and costs McCarron said the study evaluated several composting technologies and recommends an aerated…
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