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Sustainability fellow recommends town compost sites, education and pilot curbside options to cut food waste
Summary
A University of New England sustainability fellow and the town’s sustainability subcommittee recommended a multi‑step approach to cut food waste: immediate public drop‑off sites, a brush‑dump community compost pile, education and, longer term, a three‑in‑one hauler that collects trash, recycling and compost.
Samantha Rieh, a University of New England sustainability fellow working with the Lands and Conservation Commission’s sustainability subcommittee, presented research and recommendations to the Town Council July 28 on reducing food waste through composting.
Why it matters: food waste contributes greenhouse‑gas emissions and is also connected to local food insecurity. Rieh cited state and regional research showing substantial household food waste and described low‑cost, locally operated models that keep compost within the community.
Rieh outlined five recommended steps: (1) establish immediate public food‑scrap drop‑off sites, ideally at high‑traffic town locations; (2) develop a community compost pile at the brush dump (a low‑maintenance pile model used by nearby towns); (3) expand education and resource access (pamphlets, kitchenware swaps, how‑to backyard guidance); (4) evaluate curbside compost pickup options (Garbage to Garden and similar haulers); and (5) consider an ordinance banning food scraps from landfill as a last step after collection options and education are in place.
Costs and logistics Rieh cited: a basic pair of 64‑gallon drop‑off bins and signage from a private provider ran roughly $1,800 per site per year in her benchmarks; professional compost sells for about $70 per cubic yard at regional operations; signage and contamination‑reduction tools are modest line items ($400–$1,000); and Maine DEP offers waste‑diversion grants that towns can pursue to pay startup costs.
Rieh also reported Vermont examples where statewide mandates have succeeded where towns planned enforcement, hauler collaboration and community outreach; she cautioned that enforcement alone without infrastructure can fail. She recommended the town start with public drop‑off sites and a brush‑dump compost pile while seeking DEP grant funding and surveying residents about which model they prefer.
Ending: The commission said it will return with a formal proposal and cost estimate for an initial drop‑off pilot and a brush‑pile plan at the Stiles Way brush dump, with a target of an operational community pile next summer if council and staff approve.
