SWAMPSCOTT — The Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) is busy recruiting residents to join its two vacant positions to help Swampscott’s waste management.
Committee Chair Wayne Spritz said the committee is seeking “two passionate residents who are eager to learn about the complex and interesting layers that go into a solid waste committee.”
The nine-member committee has its work cut out for those who may wish to join. Formed in 2021, Spritz said that the SWAC has been an active working group of concerned and passionate residents who report to the Select Board and advise the town on all things related to trash, recycling, composting, and other diversion programs.
“Last year, Republic Services removed nearly 10 million pounds of combined solid waste from our contract area covered under our municipal contract,” Spritz explained. “It’s one of the most expensive line items in the town budget at over $1.5 million, and it will continue to go up significantly as state landfills close and we ship more waste out of state.”
According to its mission statement, the goal is to reduce the town’s non-recyclable solid waste disposal by 30% by 2030. The committee is tasked with developing and reviewing policy initiatives and/or contracts relating to solid waste, as directed by the Town Administrator and the Select Board.
Another responsibility is to establish community outreach for all matters relating to solid waste. The committee must also report publicly available monthly data related to the town’s solid waste disposal statistics, practices, activities and services.
The committee also works closely with the town, advising Swampscott schools to improve recycling rates, redirect compostable food waste from the main disposal stream, and seek alternative materials for non-recyclable food service ancillaries. The committee must also design and implement community trash and recycling audits, which aim to provide accurate monitoring of policy impacts.
It also engages with neighboring communities and regional Department of Environmental Protection representatives to explore improvement, such as grant opportunities, resident education drives, and efforts to create better state policy representation through a unified coalition of stakeholders.
