United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5306W)
EPA-530-F-99-017J
October 1999
www.epa.gov/osw
Leverett,
Massachusetts
53% Residential Waste Reduction
Overview
Leverett's recycling system, like its trash program, operates
on a drop-off basis. In 1988, the city enacted a mandatory
recycling bylaw which banned recyclable paper, glass and cans
from its landfill. In 1990, Leverett began shipping its
recyclables to a state-developed materials recovery facility
(MRF) in Springfield, Massachusetts, and in 1993 revised its
recycling bylaw to ban all materials accepted at the MRF
from disposal with trash. Recycling extended the life of the
existing landfill by two years and reduced hauling and
disposal costs after the landfill closed in 1993 and the city
began disposing its trash in a landfill 27 miles from town.
The town's Recycle/Transfer Station is located on the site of
its former landfill. Residents can drop off recyclables at this
facility for free but must pay a per-bag fee for their trash.
The Recycle/Transfer Station is also the home of Leverett's
extensive reuse program. The town has no organized
program for the management of yard debris but it has banned
these materials from disposal. In FY97, Leverett residents
diverted 53% of their residential waste from disposal — 31%
through recycling and 23% through yard debris diversion.
The town's current waste management program is cost-
effective compared to the costs of operating its own landfill
and disposing of all the town's waste.
Keys to High Waste Reduction
Leverett's yard debris disposal ban,
the acceptance of 25 materials for
recycling and reuse, and pay-as-you-
throw (PAYT) trash fees have
contributed to Leverett's 53% waste
reduction level. The town's disposal
ban forces residents to manage their
own yard debris. In the past the city
has sold reduced price compost bins
(120 bins in 1996) and provided
those residents who purchased them
DHALU
POPULATION: 1 .908
(1996)
HOUSEHOLDS: 650(1996);
all single-family homes
and duplexes
FY87
FY97
Tons Per Year
NA
652
Percent Diverted
Recycled
Composted
0%
0%
0%
53%
31%
23%
Average Ibs./HH/day
NA
5.50
Net Program Costs/HH $84.46 $50.81
Disposal Services $84.46 $39.37
Diversion Services $0.00 $11.44
Notes: 651 households served in FY89; 650 in FY97. 1986 dollars
adjusted to 1996 dollars using the GDP deflator. Numbers may
not add to total due to rounding.
Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
This profile is part of the fact sheet Cutting the Waste Stream in Half: Community Record-Setters Show How (EPA-530-F-99-017).
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with instruction booklets. The
Recycle/Transfer Station accepts all materials
processed at the Springfield MRF and provides
recycling and source reduction
opportunities for other goods. Most of
the structures at the town's
Recycle/Transfer Station are devoted
to reuse; the most active is the "Take it
or Leave it." At this facility, residents
have moved items such as hand and
power tools, small and large appliances,
exercise equipment, toys, furniture,
housewares, building materials, and even a
snowblower into the reuse stream. The second
most popular component of the town's reuse
operations is its clothes bin where residents can
deposit their own unwanted clothing or take
items left by other residents. Residents must pay
per-bag fees for the disposal of all waste. In
FY97, disposal fees were $1.50 per 30-gallon
bag and $0.75 for 15-gallon bags.
Cost-Effectiveness
In FY97, Leverett's gross costs for
residential waste management were $37,600.
iwjauau
DROP-OFF:
newspaper, magazines, corrugated cardboard
mixed paper (including paperboard, mail, office paper, phone books and
other books, and kraft paper bags)
juice and milk boxes
glass containers
cans
all plastic bottles, tubs, trays, andjars
lead-acid batteries
household batteries
textiles
reusable goods
white goods
paint
scrap metal
RESIDENTIAL WASTE GENERATION
PER HOUSEHOLD PER DAY
S 2.0
1.0
£
FY97
] Trash ^ Recycling ^Composting
Source: Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 1999.
Of this, about 72% was spent on trash
collection and disposal and 28% was spent on
recycling. On a per-ton basis, trash cost $91
and recycling cost $51 ($36 with material
revenues). Leverett pays an average of $58 per
ton in landfill tip fees, while the town pays no
tip fees for delivering recyclables to the MRF.
The town's PAYT trash fees, lack of tip fees for
recycled materials, and reuse programs have
contributed to the cost effectiveness of it waste
management program. In FY87, before the
town expanded its waste reduction program,
waste disposal cost $84 per household. The
town's current costs for waste management are
only $58 per household ($53 per household
when revenues from recyclables are included).
Tips for Replication
Don't waste time reinventing the wheel.
People have to live with your
recycling/reuse program. Make it as easy, and
as useful to them, as possible.
Try not to get too caught up in the
numbers game (recycling rates); focus on how
to help your community deal with the waste
issues that are or will be important to them.
The recycling rate will take care of itself.
Contact
Richard Drury
Recycling Coordinator
Town of Leverett, Town Hall
Leverett, MA 01054
PHONE: 413-367-9683
FAX: 413-367-9611
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