Free Composting Drop Now Offered at Great Barrington Transfer Station

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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.

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New Universally Accessible Sheffield Trail To Be Highlighted on Guided Walk

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — The Sheffield Land Trust will hold its annual Fall Property Walk on Sunday, Dec. 7 at 1 pm at its Ashley Falls Woods property off Rte 7A in Ashley Falls.  
 
The guided walk will highlight the completion of the first phase of upgrading a section of trail to be universally accessible.  Signage and other improvements will follow in subsequent phases.
 
Join guides Elia Delmolino and Neal Chamberlain to experience this new recreational opportunity.
 
Neal Chamberlain is the long-time Land Trust volunteer who guides the maintenance of the trails, and Elia DelMolino is from Greenagers, whose youth work crews have been busy this summer and fall in transforming 0.3 miles of the existing trail into an ADA-compliant accessible trail. The trail of compacted stone dust wanders through mowed meadows and forest, with a new bridge and boardwalk crossing the stream and wet areas.
 
The Land Trust thanked Greenagers, for making this trail accessible and the Berkshire Environmental Endowment, Eagle Fund, Fields Pond Foundation, and MassTrails for the grants that helped fund the work.
 
Before the walk, enjoy seasonal refreshments. Please wear good walking shoes and warm clothing.
 
This event is free, open to the public and family friendly.
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