by Dr. Sarah Treanor Bois
Director of Research & Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation
Published by Yesterday’s Island
Whether you are a year round resident, a seasonal homeowner, or a summer visitor renting for a week, Nantucket’s waste disposal system affects you.
Did you know that the island used to get rid of much of its trash by openly burning it at the Madaket landfill? Those days may be long gone, but we are still trying to settle on the best solution to a trashy problem.
Back in 1986, Town officials selected composting over shipping waste off-island for incineration. The Rhode Island firm, Waste Options, currently manages the solid waste composting facility on the island. Household trash is run through a composting digester and turned into compost over the course of several days. The compost is then available (for free) at the entrance to the dump.
Nantucketers have been separating out recycling since 1996: first by the various plastics, tin, glass, paper (newspaper vs office paper), and cardboard. This mandatory recycling program won accolades in 2009 when the island was recognized by a national advocacy group for obtaining a 92% recycling rate: a rate, at the time, higher than the previous winner, San Francisco. Read more…
NOTE: The event was so successful, the organizers already picked a date for next year: Saturday, April 5th, 2020. Congratulations to Leah Mojer for creating this important event!