Debate continues over over expansion plans for the Edgartown refuse district transfer station. Neighbors are questioning the large size of the project.
Debate continues over over expansion plans for the Edgartown refuse district transfer station. Neighbors are questioning the large size of the project.
A major expansion at the Edgartown transfer station had its first public hearing before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Over the past seven months, voters in four Island towns have approved funding for a major expansion of the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse District transfer station. The $2.5 million project is expected to triple the Edgartown station’s vehicle capacity and allow for future expansion.
Massachusetts has become the first state in the nation to put a ban on commercial food waste entering landfills. Larger businesses on the Vineyard are preparing for the changes, and businesses and residents are feeling the need for more composting regulations.
If funding is approved at upcoming town meetings, the Martha’s Vineyard Refuse District will expand its central facility beginning next year. The Vineyard produces thousands of tons of trash annually, all of it shipped off-Island.
After a year of negotiating details to build a regional composting facility on the Island, the Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal and Resource Recovery District committee voted last night to ship waste to a composting facility in Marlboro on a trial basis.
"This is to ascertain whether it's logistically feasible to ship off," said Richard Skidmore, chairman of the district committee.
