1. Hamilton’s
Curbside Organics Program
A Grassroots approach towards zero waste
Gretel Clark, Chair
Hamilton Recycling Committee

2. Background Info
HAMILTON
WENHAM
• Population = 8,ooo 5,000
• Families 2,400 1,200
• Square miles 15 8
• Pop/sq. mile 554 546
• Lots of open space so many households
compost on their property
• Both Towns vote Republican

3. Recycling History
• 6 years ago, encouraged recycling, enforced waste bans, continued unlimited
of solid waste
• 4 years ago Hamilton, then Wenham (a year later), voted in a WRP (one free
barrel: $1.75/bag for excess solid waste). Pay hauler through taxes.
• 3 years ago instituted a pilot composting program involving 75 families for 8
weeks in winter
– Implemented by volunteer Recycle committee in Hamilton.
– Free bins and service to participants: weekly pick up of compost
– Hauler and composter offered their services for free
– Residents given free compost
• Results of program revealed:
– Average of 27lbs solid waste before organics collection. With organics,
the participating households removed 10-12 lbs per week = 1/3 to ½ less!
– With 81% of participants responding, 92% said that they would pay any
where from $50-$100/year to have their organic waste picked up
weekly.

4. Results of Larger Pilot Program
• Two years ago, after 6 months of recruiting, a second organic waste program
was introduced with 575 families participating and paying $75 for weekly pick
up; many paying $29 for their counter top and roadside bins.
• Hamilton administered the program for both towns.
• Survey of participants after 8 months showed:
– unqualified (94%) support at the same price.
– program should be offered town-wide with an increase in the price of the
solid waste overflow bags (73%)
– composting program should be mandatory if free (54%)
– 56% had taken advantage of the free compost offer.
• Only two problems emerged: (they were solved)
– Maggots in the summer—solved by freezing meat and cooked food until
pick-up day;
– Compost freezing to bottom of bin in winter—solved by bringing bin into
house night before pick up day; or lining bin with lots of newspaper
• Over time, more than 60 additional families paid for bins to participate.

7. Where are we going from here
one week from today?
• Hiltz will now haul organics for every family,
adding it to their regular trash services. Will use
split body truck for Recycling and Organics—at
minimal additional cost.
• Solid waste permitted per household is now
down to ½ a free 33 gal. barrel/week (by
reducing collection of solid waste to every other
week).
• Surplus waste must go into 33 gal. bag at $1.75
or a 16 gal. bag at $1.00 each.
• Most of the cost of the compost bins will be paid
for by grants and DEP assistance.

8. Benefits To The Town
• Trash cost expected go down another 15-25%
• New bag revenue from the PAYT program to
help pay greater share of program costs
• Potential to use the compost as fill for our
landfill (currently slated to cost the town $2.4
million).
• Longer term potential to install an anaerobic
digester on the landfill site and accept other
towns’ organics

9. Benefits To The Citizens
• Free weekly curbside organics collection
• Weekly single-stream pick up of recyclables
• Continued access to free compost
• A lowered tax rate by putting trash costs into
an Enterprise Fund (off the tax).
• Individual control over costs of disposal.

10. Benefits to the Environment
• Maximizing incentives for reuse, reducing,
recycling, returning organics to the earth, etc.
• Cost is controlled by each family

11. Lessons Learned
• Households dispose of 10-12 lbs of organics
weekly,
• Weekly collection of organics removes 1/3 to
½ the weight of solid waste in a PAYT/WRP
community!
• Where there’s a will, a volunteer program can
create conditions to start a new program.
• Approaching a new program by steps may be
the best way to go (i.e. pilots.)

12. Key Ingredients for Success
• Access to a local compost facility for organics
• Willing participants in a pilot program to
provide proof of concept to town officials
• Cooperative relationship with hauler.
• Help from State DEP, both financially and
technical assistance.
• Step by step process