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Town considers $20,000 waste-oil burner to reduce hazardous-hauler costs and heat the highway garage
Summary
Canterbury staff reviewed a proposal to install a waste-oil burner in the highway building (approximate installed cost ~$20,000) to avoid intermittent hazardous-hauler disposal fees and possibly offset heating fuel costs; officials asked for more technical details and risk analysis before deciding.
Town highway and facilities staff presented a proposal to install a waste-oil burner at the highway garage to handle locally generated waste oil and reduce the town's reliance on hazardous-waste haulers.
The meeting noted recent costly removals of contaminated oil at the transfer station (a cited prior hauler bill was about $12,000 for ~250 gallons). The road agent had obtained a vendor estimate for an installed waste-oil burner in the range of about $20,000; staff said the unit could supply heat to the high bay and reduce propane or heating-oil use.
Officials discussed operational questions: how to accept and screen resident oil at the transfer station, transport limits for 55-gallon drums, handling contaminated loads, and regulatory limits on moving larger volumes. Select Board members asked about the risk of spills and cleanup costs and whether a combined heat-and-power (CHP) unit that also generated electricity might be a viable alternative; one committee member suggested exploring CHP options that can produce three-phase power and some electricity.
Town staff said commercial retailers will take small residential quantities but not the volume generated by municipal trucks. The Select Board requested additional technical specifications, environmental and spill-risk analysis, and a clearer estimate of actual savings and rebates before considering a warrant article or capital appropriation.
No formal vote was taken; staff were asked to return with vendor details, screening/testing options for incoming oil and a clearer cost/benefit analysis.
