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DEP consent order pushes Framingham to fund site assessment and possible equipment changes at recycling center
Summary
Public works told Framingham’s Finance Subcommittee on Feb. 11 that a DEP inspection and subsequent administrative consent order require a site assessment and likely equipment upgrades at the city recycling center, and staff asked the committee to recommend a $171,340 consultant appropriation from certified free cash.
Framingham Public Works officials told the Finance Subcommittee on Feb. 11 that a 2024 inspection by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found municipal solid‑waste handling at the city recycling center did not meet DEP expectations and that the city entered an administrative consent order that requires a site assessment and corrective work with a June 30, 2025 compliance deadline.
Public works said the city received a notice of noncompliance following an April 5, 2024 site inspection and later met with DEP. No civil fines had been issued as of the Feb. 11 presentation, but the department said the consent order sets tasks that must be completed to allow the city to continue the current level of drop‑off service.
Bob Lewis, who represented public works at the meeting, said the consultant scope for the required work is estimated at $171,340 and that staff are seeking appropriation of certified free cash to engage consultants for the assessment and to begin design. "We had a site inspection from DEP back in April fifth of 20 24. As a result of the inspection, the DEP issued a notice of non compliance in August eighth of 20 24," Lewis said.
Lewis described possible operational changes to comply with DEP guidance, including installing two permanently mounted ground‑level compactors with removable containers (consultants’ preliminary pricing: about $35,000 each for the compactors themselves, plus associated site and electrical work). He said the compactors would be similar in principle to the cardboard compactors already used at the site but designed for municipal solid waste and configured to avoid overflow and liquid discharges.
Public works acknowledged several unresolved questions that the consultant assessment is intended to answer: how many compactors are required for throughput volumes; whether existing electrical panels will support three‑phase motors; whether the incinerator shell on site should be demolished as part of any redesign; the scheduling of compactor pickups to match container capacity; and how the yard‑waste/brush operation and long‑term site planning interact with required remedial work.
Lewis and others said the recycling center typically processes roughly 12–15 tons per weekend day of material during normal operations and noted the site accepts bulky items that currently require separate handling. The consultant assessment would analyze volumes and flow patterns and recommend equipment and site changes. Lewis said that if the city wants to keep the current drop‑off service model, modifications will be needed to meet DEP expectations.
The subcommittee voted unanimously to recommend appropriation of $171,340 from certified free cash for the assessment work; that recommendation advances to the full council. Public works said it will provide the consent order text and a more detailed scope for the consultant contract as follow‑up.
