Free Composting Drop Now Offered at Great Barrington Transfer Station

Print Story | Email Story
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — In collaboration with Berkshire Compost, the town Transfer Station will now accept composted food waste from residents of Great Barrington and Housatonic. 
 
The program is free.
 
Compost is food waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill: scraps leftover from cooking or meals, cardboard and certain paper products. 
 
Composting food waste significantly reduces the garbage that heads to the landfill. Compost is filled with nutrients used in farming and agriculture to fertilize soil.
 
"Composting is a natural, sustainable way to recycle food waste, it is used to build healthy soil for gardening and agriculture," said Rebecca Jurczyk, health agent for the Great Barrington Board of Health. "Composting is easy and helps to replenish our nutrient depleted soils."
 
Transfer station hours are Friday, 8 a.m. – 3  p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m., and Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
 
Accepted compost includes:
  • Fruit & vegetable peels
  • Dairy, eggs, grains, bread
  • Meat, fish, poultry
  • Bones, shells
  • Soiled cardboard
  • Napkins, paper towels
 
Not accepted:
  • Compostable-ware
  • Coffee cups, wrappers
  • Plastic, metal, glass
  • Berkshire Compost is a commercial composting company serving Southern Berkshire towns.
 
The composting program is a project of the Board of Health, which received funding from the Berkshire Public Health Appliance to pilot the program for one year.

Tags: composting,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Butternut Fire Expands to Sheffield, Covering 1,100 Acres

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

The fire expanded during to the night to cover more than 1,100 acres. 

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Butternut Fire has expanded tenfold, now covering almost 1,100 acres of forest and spreading to Sheffield.

Just before noon on Wednesday, the town reported that the wildfire near Brush Hill Road off East Mountain had unexpected growth overnight. It spread over 100 acres on Tuesday and on Wednesday, was estimated to cover slightly less than 1,100 acres.

The town remains in a state of emergency, as declared by the Select Board on Tuesday, but first responders assure that Great Barrington is not in danger.

Around 2 p.m., the Great Barrington Fire Department reported via Facebook that "significant fire" was extinguished by using a Blackhawk helicopter to drop 600 gallons of water. Water is now being pulled from Three Mile Pond in Sheffield.

The blaze is being referred to as the Butternut Fire due to its proximity to Ski Butternut, which has confirmed there is no damage to the ski area.

"At this time the fire is more than a quarter of a mile from the nearest structures and there are not any immediate threats to the public. There have NOT been any evacuation orders at this time. We have strategically placed structural fire crews in the areas where there is the POTENTIAL for us to operate in a protection mode to protect homes and property," the town's press release reads.

"In the event of a need for an evacuation order, residents will be notified through Code RED along with in-person door-to-door notifications of the affected area — an information post will be shared on how to sign up if you are already not signed up."

The fire was first reported Monday evening and by 9 p.m., firefighters were pulled from the mountain because of the hazardous conditions. On Tuesday morning, neighboring departments were called in to help contain the blaze.

View Full Story

More South Berkshire Stories