Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 4/7/2022
WILBRAHAM – Jonathan Murray, director of 120 Old Boston Road Recycling, a Western Recycling/USA Waste company, explained to the Wilbraham Board of Selectmen on April 4 that his company is seeking authorization to use a newly-approved method of sealing railroad cars carrying solid waste.
The company recycles construction and demolition waste, municipal waste and lightly contaminated soil. It currently bales the processed materials together and sends them to their next destination in railroad cars, covered by netting.
The new process, called Posi-Shell, mixes recycled fibers, water, Portland cement and an odor eliminator into a slurry, which is sprayed over a layer of netting and dirt, sealing the waste beneath two to three inches of shell. When the railcar reaches its destination, the shell, which is not as hard as normal cement, is broken up and the waste retrieved.
The process has been used at landfills for years, but the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) only recently approved the process for railcars after testing by the rail company CSX.
Board of Selectmen Chair Robert Boilard asked Murray if the material was biodegradable and how much extra waste the process adds to the system. Murray said Posi-Shell creates roughly 1,200 extra pounds of waste per car. While concrete is recyclable, it is not biodegradable.
The process will be more expensive for the company, which must purchase $250,000 in equipment before it could begin using Posi-Shell and it would require maintenance. Despite this, Murray said that it is a better, more secure way to cap railcars.
Department of Public Works Director Tanya Basch said the change is “something that we should consider,” and the board can send comments and concern to MassDEP during the review period.
Other topics
The board approved a request by Town Administrator Nick Breault to contract with Sherman & Frydryk for a $40,000 study on running a sewer line from Stony Hill Road, down Springfield Street, to the Town Hall and future Senior Center.
Breault said the supplemental budget recently passed by the state legislature will provide the town with money to fix damaged roads, although he did not yet know a specific amount.
The board recognized Police Officer Justin Wall for 10 years of service to the town.