1 / 21

Greening Your Bottom Line: Shelburne Falls Composting Program Assessment

This program assessment, administered by the Shelburne Falls Area Business Association, evaluates the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of a pilot composting initiative in the region. The assessment includes surveys of participating businesses to measure waste diversion, cost savings, and operational challenges. Results indicate positive support for the program's continuation and possible expansion to additional businesses, despite some existing challenges such as illegal dumping and access issues during winter months. Recommendations for future strategies include direct business-to-farm pickup and disposal to enhance long-term feasibility and generate cost savings. For more information, contact Thomas Benjamin, the Sustainability Consultant at ECS, Inc.

lacey-randolph
Download Presentation

Greening Your Bottom Line: Shelburne Falls Composting Program Assessment

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Assessing the Shelburne Falls Collaborative Composting ProgramA Program Administered by:Shelburne Falls Area Business Association(SFABA)Regionalization Toolkit Conference, Worcester September 1, 2011Presented by: Thomas Benjamin, RLA, LEED-AP BD+CContact: tbenjamin@ecsconsult.com, (413) 687-1135

  2. Context: Shelburne Falls/BucklandCentral Business District Greening Your Bottom Line

  3. Context: Bridge of Flowers, Eateries & Arts – An International Tourist Destination Greening Your Bottom Line

  4. Sustainability Assessment Leads toPilot Composting Program • Sustainability Assessment – Winter 2010 • Comprehensive assessment of energy, waste and water systems for five local businesses • Reducing waste disposal costs emerged as high priority and attainable item for businesses • Pilot Composting Program – Summer 2010 • Five participating food establishments • Two offices added early on Greening Your Bottom Line

  5. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 5 • Program Assessment – Spring/Summer 2011 • MA Dept. of Housing and Community Development funded, under Downtown Initiative Program Grant • Surveyed participating businesses including: • Two restaurants • Two cafes • One sweet shop • Two offices Greening Your Bottom Line

  6. Participating Businesses 6 Greening Your Bottom Line

  7. Participating Businesses 7 Greening Your Bottom Line

  8. Compostable Waste Dumpster 8 Greening Your Bottom Line

  9. Composting Facility 9 Greening Your Bottom Line

  10. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 10 • Conducted Survey to Identify: • Weekly trash volume • Weekly compostable waste volume • Components of the compostable waste • Cost effectiveness • Convenience • Available times for training staff Greening Your Bottom Line

  11. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 11 • Survey to Determine if the Program is: • Still supported by participating businesses • Cost effective for businesses • Likely to remain viable at current scale • Expandable to include additional businesses • In need of improvement and how Greening Your Bottom Line

  12. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 12 • Weekly Trash vs. Compostable Waste: • Trash = 0.25 – 6 cubic yards per business • Compostables average 2 cubic yards +/- • Existing Dumpster holds 4 cubic yards • Compostable waste to 2 tons +/- • Program is diverting roughly 50% of solid waste produced by participating businesses on average • Diverting up to 75% of solid waste per business • Roughly 50% dumpster volume is paper waste Greening Your Bottom Line

  13. Compostable Waste Stream 13 Greening Your Bottom Line

  14. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 14 • Cost Effectiveness: • Monthly hauling fee for dumpster = $140.00 • Most businesses have realized some disposal cost savings, up to 30% reduction annually • Likely that business have saved more then survey results suggest • Challenges to cost savings include: • Pre-existing trash disposal contracts lack flexibility • Trash disposal contract running with property owner not the business tenant Greening Your Bottom Line

  15. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 15 • Direct Participant Feedback -Successes: • Strong support to continue the program • Support program expansion • Sense of pride Challenges and Areas for Improvement: • Improve cost effectiveness • Illegal dumping and lock vandalism/misuse • Pests/Nuisance odors/Clean-up • Dumpster access during winter months • Recognition of program participants and overall marketing of program Greening Your Bottom Line

  16. Program Challenges 16 Greening Your Bottom Line

  17. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 17 • Survey to Determine if the Program is: • Still supported by participating businesses Yes • Cost effective for businesses In most cases • Likely to remain viable at current scale Maybe • Expandable to include additional businessesHopefully • In need of improvement and how Greening Your Bottom Line

  18. Pilot Compost Program Assessment 18 • Future Strategies for long-term Feasibility: • Direct business-to-farm pickup and disposal • Provides potential cost savings and additional convenience to businesses • Provides much needed “free” compost feedstock to farms • Challenge: How to coordinate multiple parties for consistency?? Greening Your Bottom Line

  19. We can have this…… Greening Your Bottom Line

  20. ……or this! Greening Your Bottom Line

  21. Questions? • For more information contact: Thomas Benjamin, RLA, LEED-AP BD+C Sustainability Consultant ECS, Inc. tbenjamin@ecsconsult.com (413) 687-1135 Greening Your Bottom Line

More Related