Tetra Tech assisted Barnstable County with short to mid-term and long-term municipal solid waste (MSW) planning services to facilitate resiliency, mitigate climate change, and prepare for a zero waste future.
Barnstable County sought an approach to manage MSW and recyclable materials to bring the most suitable, cost-effective solutions for its 15 member municipalities, including towns on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The County wanted to reduce the amount of waste generated on Cape Cod and Island towns, manage the waste materials categories generated, and identify new ways to recycle or find beneficial use end-markets
Benefits
- Identified MSW diversion options for recyclable, reusable, and hard to dispose waste materials
- Aligned Cape Cod and Island towns with the revised Massachusetts 2030 SWMP
- Improved system efficiency and resiliency by supplementing current service levels
- Recommended a regional composting facility to be sited at the JBCC
Tetra Tech provided a final summary report and recommendations for both a short to mid-term and long-term plan that will serve as a starting point for the County to coordinate the towns, build consensus, and focus on future solid waste management and zero waste goals. We identified MSW diversion options for recyclable, reusable, and hard to dispose waste materials, and evaluated alternative methods to control costs and provide long-term flexibility for Cape Cod and Islands. The work also was designed to align Cape Cod and Island towns with the revised Massachusetts 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan (SWMP).
The short to mid-term plan recommended the creation of a waste diversion collaborative in which member towns would share resources, establish policies and best practices, and develop a more formal solid waste management plan and infrastructure to manage peak waste flow variations. The long-term plan included a recommendation that Barnstable County engage with Joint Base Cape Cod (JBCC) to identify their land parcels most suited for future development of waste material processing and waste diversion infrastructure. Working together to manage costs through regional planning for a sustainable materials management infrastructure will ensure the Cape and Islands are more resilient to markets and support a growing population.
Tetra Tech did an excellent job on the Barnstable County MSW Diversion Options report to advance longer term, comprehensive municipal waste management and regional resiliency. I was especially impressed by their thoroughness and the recommendation for the County to engage with the JBCC for future development of an eco-park and a regional organics infrastructure.
