A Visit to the Manchester Transfer Station and Black Earth Compost

 To the Editor,

So, I learned something new—or maybe I was just reminded of something I should have remembered!

Recently I joined a group for a tour of the Manchester transfer station, and what an eye-opener it was.  I had always thought of the transfer station primarily as a place for trash and recycling, but there is so much more that can be brought there for proper disposal or recycling.

There are designated areas for items such as plastic bags, batteries, textiles (including those old, stained T-shirts that can no longer be donated), and all kinds of cloth.  And, of course, there is a place for compost.  We also had the opportunity to tour the Black Earth Compost operation with Justin, one of the managers.

I was amazed by how organized and carefully managed the facility is.  And surprisingly, there was no unpleasant odor! A highly sophisticated blowing system, along with special odor-absorbing media, keeps things under control.

The kitchen scraps we collect are carefully monitored throughout the composting process.  In about six months, those scraps will have been transformed into nutrient-rich material that can be returned to the land. It really is an amazing operation!  We also got to meet Taylor, who manages their CHaRM collection program for hard-to-recycle items like electronics, textiles, and foam.

One more thing! If you do compost, remember to take off those fruit stickers since those have to be taken out of the final product by hand!!

It was a fascinating and educational visit—and a great reminder that there’s so much more we can do to keep useful materials out of the trash and return valuable nutrients to the earth.

If you missed the tour but want to get involved, join one of our monthly Manchester Sustainability Committee meetings! You can always find meeting details in the Agenda Center on the town website.

Donna Brewster

Manchester