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Solid Waste Advisory Committee urges more composting, cites food waste as major share of municipal trash
Summary
The Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) reported year‑to‑year progress on municipal solid waste tonnages and outlined initiatives to reduce food waste: curbside subscriptions with vendors, expanded school composting and new drop‑off sites. Committee leadership said food waste comprises roughly 25–30% of municipal solid waste and that additional
John Dempsey, chair of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, presented SWAC’s annual report and told the Select Board that food waste remains the single largest weight component of municipal solid waste — roughly 25%–30% — and that the committee’s current priorities are expanding curbside and drop‑off composting and improving school programs.
"We were proud to get under 8,000 tons of municipal solid waste, and our new goal is 7,000 tons," Dempsey said, citing long‑term reductions driven by recycling and diversion programs. He listed SWAC’s accomplishments, including townwide curbside composting subscriptions (roughly 2,000 subscribing households), four current community drop‑off sites with two more planned, and a plan to bring composting to all public elementary schools and the high school by year‑end.
DPW and SWAC members said a mix of curbside service (private subscription), community drop‑offs and school diversion will be used to maximize participation. Board members asked about commercial food waste, noting that large restaurant dumpsters and multi‑unit residential waste are often drivers of rodent complaints. SWAC said that commercial collections are tracked by vendors but are not as precisely measured; the committee planned targeted outreach and additional enforcement and coordination with public‑health teams.
Other SWAC priorities reported to the board included increased textile diversion, electronics drop‑offs in North Brookline, and advising on reuse of school furniture during construction. Dempsey and others praised town professional staff and named new hires in the zero‑waste program.
Ending: The committee recommended that the town continue to support and expand composting access in 2026, with SWAC and DPW continuing outreach to commercial generators and neighborhoods with rodent issues.
