C&D activity halted at transfer station due to lack of funds

The operations at a transfer station in Bourne, Massachusetts, have been halted due to a lack of funds, The Bourne Enterprise reports.

Operations at the transfer station, which is on-site at the town of Bourne’s landfill to help process construction and demolition (C&D) material, ceased May 9.

The town’s C&D operations are their own expense line item in the landfill’s budget. Due to unforeseen expenses in recent months, the C&D budget has been exhausted, according to Daniel Barrett, general manager, town of Bourne, Integrated Solid Waste Management Department (ISWM).

Barrett says that the increased scope of operations at the facility have contributed to its closing. Due to increased building and demo work in the area, the station has taken in approximately 2,000 more pounds of C&D debris this year than last.  

“Lots of construction and building is taking place. Homes built, remodeling, building construction are all up, and so is the need to get rid of the debris,” Barrett says.

The problem is that the suppressed recycling markets that have subdued the price of some commodities have led to an increase in tipping fees.

Companies dropping off debris at the facility are charged $115 per ton. It then cost the city an average of $85 per ton to haul the debris away. The $30 difference is used to cover the operation’s expenses, of which $25 per ton is allotted. However, things like unexpected equipment maintenance have further eaten into the facility’s profitability.  

City officials say that the station will likely be closed until the start of Bourne’s new fiscal year, which begins July 1, unless a $200,000 emergency fund is allocated to restart operations.