Looking to the Future

The Town, faced with these financial and wasted disposal troubles, acted to control its future waste disposal options, while simultaneously keeping its costs down.

In 1996, the Bedminster Technology was selected by the Town of Nantucket as part of a totally integrated solid waste disposal program.

This aggressive program would tackle the issues of landfill clean-up, recycling and composting. The Town saw this as the way to secure its future both environmentally and economically.

The Nantucket Solid Waste Recycling and Composting Facility is the most comprehensive in Massachusetts. The estimated amount of materials recycled and diverted from landfilling exceeds 80%. The facility combines traditional recycling of metals, plastic, paper, cardboard and glass with the recycling of more difficult items such as tires, refrigerators, stoves, mattresses, sofas, chairs, clothing and shoes. Additionally, construction & demolition waste, wood waste and yard waste are processed and recycled.

In December 1999, the Town of Nantucket unveiled a Bedminster composting facility at the Madaket Road landfill site. An imposing though well-hidden structure built around a long cylindrical digester, the facility is one more component in what is probably the most comprehensive municipal waste management system ever established.

The compost produced by the Bedminster facility exceeds the quality standards of both the federal EPA and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Landscaping is the primary utilization of organic soil amendments and topsoil on Nantucket.