County arrays funding, studies for regional composting facility to divert food waste

County Cooperative Extension and county staff updated commissioners and the Bourne select board on a regional composting proposal intended to capture food waste, leaf and yard material and reduce tipping fees.

Carrie Purcell, the county’s solid waste and recycling coordinator, described a 2020–21 feasibility study that identified food waste as a major, divertable portion (roughly 30–36 percent) of the local waste stream. She said the county secured about $80,000 from 11th Hour Racing and has earmarked additional county funds to support an RFP and engineering work led by SES Engineers. Purcell said renderings show an initial covered facility footprint of about two active acres plus buffer and that the county could own the site and contract operations or pursue a third‑party operator model.

Permitting considerations limit initial annual throughput under a Mass General Permit threshold and the project team has discussed environmental buffers, PFOS screening and outreach with MassDevelopment and the military base as part of a divestment review for potential sites. Purcell said the county wants to ensure vendors’ equipment and operating plans match permitted capacity before finalizing the RFP.

Select board members and commissioners said a Cape‑based composting facility could lower municipal tipping fees and reduce truck trips off Cape. Purcell offered to arrange site tours of existing facilities and encouraged towns to consider participation to reach the volume thresholds vendors require for economically viable pickups.

No formal action was taken; commissioners supported continued planning, grant pursuit and town coordination on the project.