M.V. Refuse Disposal District Practices & Policies

Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal & Resource Recovery District
PO Box 2067
Edgartown MA 02539
508-627-4501

During the spring of 1987, the district completed an extensive study that reviewed various solid waste management strategies for the Island's refuse. Based on economic, environmental, and technical factors, the district determined that disposal at the SEMASS resource recovery facility in Rochester, Massachusetts, coupled with an extensive recycling effort, is the most economical and environmentally sound solid waste management strategy for Martha's Vineyard.

The management program is:

1. Residents will deliver recyclable and SEMASS-bound refuse to local drop-off facilities at landfills in Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, and West Tisbury.

2. Material collected at each local drop-off facility (LDO) will be transported to a central recycling and transfer station, where both SEMASS-bound refuse and the recyclables will be processed and prepared for shipment off-Island.

3. Commercially generated refuse or curbside refuse collected by municipal packer trucks will be delivered directly to the central transfer station.

4. The district will operate a regional landfill to receive non-recyclable and non-SEMASS refuse. Landfill-bound refuse will either be collected at the local drop-off centers or delivered directly to the landfill.

The district's program calls for a vigorous recycling effort, whereby selected materials will be segregated and recycled either on-Island or at off-Island markets. It is estimated that approximately 30% of the Island's solid waste will be recycled, 59% will be transferred to SEMASS, and 11% will go to a landfill.

Each town or refuse hauler will pay $146 per ton for refuse (SEMASS-bound) brought to the district's transfer station in Edgartown. This cost is passed on to the waste generators. By removing recyclables from trash, residents will directly reduce their costs as well as their town's cost. The refuse district and the towns' boards of health have adopted a regional disposal policy based on user fees. Each household will purchase a landfill sticker for each of their vehicles and a coupon booklet good for the disposal of 10 barrels of waste, with each 30-32 gallon barrel not to exceed 41 pounds.