Framingham Mayor: Polite but Non-Commital on Curbside Composting

The recent Earth Day Festival brought a new update to the Mayor’s commitment to environmental action, and saving the city precious operational dollars. City Councilor Janet Leombruno brought him over to the curbside composting table to talk up citywide curbside composting.

Instead of showing even modest enthusiasm to look into this and see what benefits the city and its residents could get, the Mayor was polite but non-commital.

It makes you wonder what it will take to to get the city to move ahead with supporting Black Earth Composting, at no cost to the city, but with guaranteed reductions in the trash stream and lowering of costs to residents.

Currently, compostable materials comprise up to 40% of the city trash stream. That trash stream totals about 15,000 tons annually and costs the city about $100/ton for disposal, for an annual total cost of $1.5 million. If all compostable materials were diverted from the trash stream, the city would save about $600,000 or more, as the cost of trash disposal only rises with time. It’s worth trying to get a piece of that!

Every budget season the City Council hunts through the budget spreadsheet to find ‘efficiencies’. Why don’t they put some pressure this season to finally do something about curbside composting. We know that Councilors Leombruno and Mallach are on board. Let’s get the other Councilors to show their colors. If the Mayor won’t budge, the City Council should give him a push. They have the power to at least get the city to endorse a vendor and spread the word. It costs the city virtually nothing!

In 2019, Newton had about 300 residents using Black Earth Compost, pretty much where Framingham is today. After the city simply checked out vendors, and selected Black Earth Compost as the vendor they supported, with no payments to Black Earth Compost, just that city endorsement, the number of residents using the service jumped to 1200 in one year and to 2,700 3 years later. And the cost to residents dropped to $10.99/month. Framingham residents pay $14.99/month.

Plus, in all of this, the Department of Public Works does not have to commit any resources or do a thing.

Thanks Janet! Thanks Leora!

At least we have two City Councilors who know a good thing when they see it. Now all City Councilors should get on board and get this going, so in their campaigns for re-election this Fall, they can point to progress on environmental action and cost savings for residents.