Berlin Board of Health Approves Composting Drop-Off Program Starting July 1

BERLIN — June 16, 2026 — Berlin Board of Health greenlights composting drop-off program and scales back transfer station pest control plan. The board voted unanimously to adjourn a June 16 working session after approving a food-waste composting program set to launch July 1 at the transfer station, open to all sticker holders at no extra charge through a contract with Black Earth, which processes material at facilities in Groton and Framingham. The town pays $25 per week per toter, and a board member said the program is projected to roughly break even against the $140-per-ton disposal cost for regular trash. On pest control, members rejected a vendor's recommendation of 20 bait traps at $30 each and instead settled on a smaller deployment of roughly seven to eight traps near the compactors. Health Agent Bill also reported that a homeowner's request to build an interior wall inside a 1,500-gallon septic tank at 183 Randall Road — to avoid installing a proper two-compartment unit — was turned down after Bill cited access and structural-integrity concerns. A separate engineering proposal from Tye and Bon for DEP-required groundwater monitoring wells came in at $92,000 against a previously approved $30,000, leaving a funding gap the board has referred to Town Administrator Jeff.