UPDATE: On Monday, Massachusetts' Ware Board of Health held a hearing for Tri-County Recycling's controversial trash proposal, at which many residents opposed the company's request to accept large amounts of household trash. The opposition was based on concerns of rat and vermin infestation, as well as concerns that owner George McLaughlin would sell the business to a large national trash company.

Local business owner Roger Morrissette spoke against the company's proposal, stating, "Rats pile out of the vehicles ... There is no way to control it. It is just vermin running wild. He added, "I don't think the Board of Health, as good as they are, would be able to follow up on all the complaints."

Mass Live reported that the Board has until Dec. 21 to issue a written decision on the matter.

Dive Brief:

• Tri-County Recycling has proposed plans to accept up to 750 tons of household trash each day in Ware, MA, claiming the plan complies with environmental regulations and is a necessary business strategy; the company which is only permitted to accept building and construction wastes, is losing money.
• Michael Lannan, a chemical engineer from Waltham-based Tech Environmental, Inc. who represented the company, said the proposed operation would not pose a danger to the public, nor cause odors, because the garbage hauled across town would be inside a closed building and shoveled into air-tight railroad cars for transport offsite.
• David A. Wojcik, Ware's town counsel, was skeptical about logistics, such as how the dump floor would be cleaned, how many trash-hauling trucks would travel through town, and the daily tonnage of trash they would deposit at the facility.

Dive Insight:

The issue of hauling trash through town to transfer it elsewhere has sparked debate before. 

In addition to their concerns over odor and other potential problems tied to transporting the trash, the planning board is leery of what the property can handle; the site was not originally zoned for the 270,000 tons of waste Tri-County is asking to take in each year.

Lannan believes there are no reasons to refuse the request, and that he has answered all the questions necessary for Tri-County to be able to move forward.

"My conclusion was that air, odor, noise, and dust ... will not be a nuisance (nor) a danger to the environment," he said.