2021 REPORT OF THE
Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
To the Residents of the Solid Waste District:
The Solid Waste District was formed in 1989 to help Franklin County towns manage all aspects of their solid waste – recyclables, organics, hazardous waste, wastewater treatment sludge, and trash. We continue to provide assistance to twenty-one member towns through administrative support, professional consultation, trainings, and outreach to residents and businesses.
A review of recycling tonnage for 2021 shows a decrease of 100 tons of recycling compared to 2020. District residents recycled just over 2,700 tons of paper and containers. The recyclables were processed at the Springfield Materials Recycling Facility and sold for recycling primarily to domestic companies. For six months, the market revenue exceeded the processing fee so towns received revenue for their recycling tonnage.
The pandemic resulted in the cancellation of both 2021 Clean Sweep collection events.
We did hold our annual household hazardous waste collection in September 2021. This event allows residents to properly dispose of toxic cleaners, automotive products, pesticides, and other toxic products. We adjusted our collection protocol to account for health and safety requirements during the pandemic. A total of 420 households participated in this event.
We applied for and received grants from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection worth $94,000 for District towns. This grant funding is a result of a town’s successful waste management infrastructure.
If you have questions about District programs, call us at 413-772-2438 (MA Relay for the hearing impaired: 711 or 1-800-439-2370 TTY/TDD), visit our website at www.franklincountywastedistrict.org or visit us at 117 Main St., 2nd Floor in Greenfield.
Jan Ameen - Executive Director Jonathan Lagreze, Colrain – Chair
Chris Boutwell, Montague - Vice-Chair M.A. Swedlund, Deerfield – Treasurer