To the editor:

In support of Geoffrey Berg’s letter in last week's paper…Yes! Forward-thinking projects, like adding solar power to Town buildings, is right on the money (pun intended).

While we’re at it, why not think about town-wide composting to start saving money on tipping fees?

The Town budget calls for $200,000 paid to dispose of waste in the landfill. Since this is based on the weight of the waste that is disposed of, couldn’t we think about lightening the load, as it were, and urge residents to compost appropriate items in supplied bins with regular pickup?

According to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (Resource Recovery), in 2023 Warren residents sent three quarters of a ton in trash to the landfill per household. And of the approximately 324,000 tons of Rhode Island’s municipal solid waste that goes to the Johnston landfill yearly, about 32% – or 103,700 tons – of that could have been composted and would have saved 44,000 tons of greenhouse gases from entering our atmosphere, which is comparative to taking 9,349 cars off the road for one year.

So, of the approximately 5,000 households in Warren, 3,750 tons of trash is generated which, according to the preliminary budget, costs us $200,000 in tipping fees. Using Resource Recovery’s numbers (32% of potential compostable waste), 1,200 tons of that could have been composted, saving the town $64,000 per year. 

Obviously, one would need to account for any fees associated with procuring appropriate bins, coordinating curbside pickup, etc. But even if it’s a wash, isn’t it worth it?

Mega Disposal (Warren’s contracted waste management company) already offers this service and there are other municipalities performing routine pickup of compost, including the Town of Bristol. 

The facts, per Resource Recovery, reveal that the Johnston landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2034, but integrated recycling and composting efforts could double Rhode Island landfill’s lifetime through 2049.

What are the other benefits of composting, besides saving us some money?

Composting can replenish poor soil and replace harmful fertilizer used to grow the food we eat; reduce household waste; cut down harmful climate pollution that is created from food waste decaying in landfills; slow the flow of storm water, which helps prevent flooding and water contamination.

These all seem like big results from minimal effort.

Uriah Donnelly

Child Street