By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD – Public Works Director Joseph Conway and DPW Business Manager Ann Waitt were at Wednesday’s Town Council Meeting to provide an update on new and ongoing projects and initiatives.
Conway highlighted two new interactive maps that are now on the DPW’s web site to provide information and answers to residents’ questions.
The Interactive Project Map is a visual tool highlighting some of the capital projects managed the Department of Public Works that are currently underway. The Project Map allows residents to see the status of ongoing DPW projects from the planning phase through the design phase and the construction phase.
The Interactive Property Map enables residents to view geographically information pertaining to their property, including wetlands, FEMA Flood Maps, trash day, school district, voting precinct and zoning.
Conway also talked about recycling, including the Massachusetts DEP Solid Waste 2030 Master Plan. He noted that the Master plan is conducted every 10 years. The 2030 goals include working toward zero solid waste with targeted waste reduction of 30 percent by 2030 and 90% by 2050.
Conway noted that the 2010-2020 Solid Waste Master Plan goal was to reduce the solid waste stream by by 30 percent, but the actual reduction was approximately 16 percent.
The top priorities going forward, he said, are to reduce the amount of food waste, cardboard, untreated wood, textiles and mattresses. Those aggressive goals have been implemented and will continue, he said.
Efforts to reduce solid waste include the Black Earth Composting Program, which has 406 registered users locally. Conway noted that 279 composting kits were provided to residents through a grant and 21 kits are still available by contacting the DPW Office.
He said that to date, 201 tons of food waste and other compostable waste has been diverted from the solid waste stream, saving the town approximately $20,000.
Conway also mentioned the curbside collection of recyclables like cardboard. He highlighted the container at the Nahant Street Yard Waste Facility where residents can drop off cardboard if they don’t wish to wait for curbside pickup.
He said the resident drop-off was initially for convenience, but to date 14.2 tons of cardboard have been collected at the site, netting the town dividends totaling $592.70 ($40 per ton). He noted that there have been no contamination issues with the cardboard drop-ff program.
Conway observed that a statewide ban on mattresses and textiles in the trash will go into effect on Nov. 1, 2022, as mattresses and textiles join DEP’s waste ban material list. Mattresses and box springs must now be recycled, he said.
Textiles are no longer acceptable as trash waste but are accepted at over 13 locations in town, including: Crystal Laundromat, 2 Elm St.; Wakefield Care, 1 Bathol St.; Horizon House, 78 Water St.; Circle K, 448 Salem St.; St. Joseph School, 15 Gould St.; Quick Mart, 377 Lowell St.; Wakefield Memorial High School, 60 Farm St.; Woodville Elementary School, 30 Farm St.; Dolbeare Elementary School, 340 Lowell St.; Walton Elementary School, 28 Davidson Rd.; Galvin Middle School, 525 Main St.; Greenwood School, 1030 Main St. and Doyle Early Childhood Center, 11 Paul Ave.
Conway said that Mass. DEP has approved a vendor, “HandUp Mattress Recycling” of New Bedford, which will be providing curbside pickup and recycling services of mattress and box springs in Wakefield. A link and phone number will be up on the DPW website with more information. Scheduling and payment by residents will be conducted directly with HandUP. Pickup will be monthly like white goods, he said. The fee will increase from $20 to $60 and but the DPW will explore future opportunities to leverage grants to deliver savings to residents.
