Order #2023-001

Executive Order of Mayor Charlie J. Sisitsky

 

Order #2023-001 Creation of Mayoral Food Composting Task Force

 

WHEREAS: Composting could reduce the amount of trash in a landfill and reduces the costs and carbon emissions it takes to haul and process trash.

 

WHEREAS: Food scraps and yard waste currently make up 20 to 30 percent of what Americans throw away

 

WHEREAS: Food waste is a growing problem in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and in the City of Framingham.

 

WHEREAS: About 33% of the food produced worldwide never makes it to the table and ends up as waste, occupying around 25% of our world’s ever-shrinking landfills. 

 

WHEREAS: Composting can be environmental-friendly, by replenishing the nutrients in soil and restoring fertility in land that has been depleted.

 

WHEREAS: Composting enriches soil, helping retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.

 

WHEREAS: Composting can help prevent topsoil erosion by allowing the soil to absorb more water during heavy rainfalls and by fostering robust plant growth. In fact, one study found the application of compost helped to reduce soil loss by 86 percent.

 

WHEREAS: Less than 500 of the City of Framingham’s 31,500 households participate in a private composting program, the City wants to explore options for a more robust composting program within the City

 

THEREFORE: I, Charlie J. Sisitsky, Mayor of the City of Framingham, pursuant to the authority vested in me as the chief executive officer of the City of Framingham, by the Framingham Charter, hereby orders:

 

Article 1: Creation of a Framingham Mayoral Food Composting Task Force.

 

The Task Force will be comprised of 13 members, all to be appointed by the Mayor of the City of Framingham

Membership includes:

  • Framingham Department of Public Works Director Bob Lewis
  • Framingham Sanitation Operations Manager Darren Guertin
  • Framingham Recycling Coordinator Eve Carey
  • District 7 City Councilor Leora Mallach
  • Chair of the City Council’s Environmental & Sustainability Subcommittee or a member of that subcommittee
  • Chair of the School Committee’s Climate Change, Environmental, and Sustainability Subcommittee or a member of that subcommittee
  • Framingham Public Schools Executive Director of Operations or his designee
  • 2 members from Energize Framingham, who live in Framingham, appointed by the Mayor
  • 2 residents of the City of Framingham appointed by the Mayor
  • 1 member of the Framingham Sustainability Committee, appointed by the Mayor
  • 1 member of the Framingham High Environmental Club appointed by the Mayor

Article 2: The Mayor will appoint the chair and the vice chair of the task force. Members will serve on the task force for two years or until the task force is disbanded.

 

Article 3: The Mayor will provide goals and assignments for the task force at its first meeting. The Mayor may also provide a timeline for assignments, as well as a request for a written proposal with a budget, presented to the Mayor, at a date to be determined.

 

Article 4: The task force shall post public meetings, in accordance with the Commonwealth’s Open Meeting Law, and post public minutes, in a timely matter. The task force shall meet at a place that is ADA-compliant.

 

You can find the signed version here.