Farmington committee narrows public‑education goals, makes townwide composting its priority

The Town of Farmington Green Efforts Committee on an evening meeting adopted townwide composting as its immediate waste‑reduction priority and set follow‑up steps to evaluate pilot sites, vendor costs and funding options.

Committee Chair opened the discussion by saying the group must pick achievable goals given limited staff resources and the town budget calendar. Members prioritized composting over other waste topics and asked staff to schedule a vendor presentation: "We can have Nicholas from USA Waste come and talk to us about their prototype and how it works," the Chair said during the meeting.

Tim, a longtime committee member, urged the group to use a pilot approach and invited USA Waste to explain how West Hartford runs its Metro‑bin model. "If this is one of our goals that gives us the information that allows us then to take the next step," he said, arguing for an on‑the‑ground presentation and a cost breakdown.

The committee discussed practical issues vendors will need to answer, including subscription or app models for resident participation, whether residents or the town would pay for service, where pilot bins could be sited and how the scheme would work for apartments and condominiums. Staff noted Metro models require registration and a log to reduce contamination; committee members suggested starting with two pilot bins—one on each side of the river—to test usage.

Sam, the school facilities director, said school composting currently produces a net cost increase for the district because hauling fees are not weight‑based, but that operational savings have been found by reducing dumpster pickups at some schools; he agreed to provide exact cost figures for committee review.

The committee agreed to invite USA Waste (Nicholas and a colleague) to present at the start of the next meeting—provisionally scheduled for August 4—and to follow that presentation with a September meeting focused on next steps, including grant research and budget timing.

Next steps: staff will confirm vendor availability for August, Sam will provide school cost details, and volunteers will research grant programs and possible municipal funding avenues to present in September.