HUDSON – Plans are in the works for the Hudson transfer station to be relocated and expanded to better serve the community.
The project was discussed at a meeting on June 14; principal engineer A.J. Jablonowski of Epsilon Associates explained the process and ultimate goal.
The existing transfer station at 300 Cox St. can handle 350 tons per day of materials, and after it expands, the capacity will more than double to 850 tons per day. It will also be relocated toward the interior of the 72-acre parcel it occupies now.
Transfer station history
Since 1965, B-P Trucking, a family-owned and operated waste management and recycling company, has provided commercial, industrial and residential waste removal throughout Massachusetts.
It has operated the Hudson transfer station since 1999. Hudson owns the land the station is on, and the land is managed by Department of Public Works Director Eric Ryder.
Sanborn, Head & Associates are the solid waste engineering company that has been retained by B-P Trucking to lead the permitting and design work for the proposed expansion, while Epsilon Associates will provide environmental engineering expertise as part of Sanborn’s team.
“It’s being done in partnership with the town of Hudson,” Jablonowski said.
Generally, the goal is to allow better organization of where the processing of solid waste and commercial materials will take place, said Jablonowski.
What is proposed
With the recent approval of construction for the police department and public works facility, the town and B-P Trucking are seeking to relocate the current transfer station, said Jablonowski.
The existing facility can accept and separately handle municipal solid waste, or household trash, and construction and demolition waste, or waste from a construction project like wood, brick or asphalt material, according to Jablonowski.
Any construction and demolition material is transferred to another facility to be processed.
The new facility will be on 13 acres and approximately 53,000 square feet, which will be “a significantly larger structure.” He said they will be better able to separate materials like recyclables and construction and demolition waste and to also sort and bail recyclables right in the facility.
Regarding the drop-off of solid waste, he added, “The overall process for the design on that is in development now.”
There will be five acres of impervious surface – which are hard surfaces like parking lots and paved roads – in the new location, Jablonowski said.
There will be some permitting involved in relocation per the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA), and Massachusetts is one of a “handful of states” that do an environmental policy review prior to the state permitting process.
He added, “That ends up being a soup-to-nuts review of possible impacts and efforts to avoid, minimize and mitigate those impacts.”
There are MEPA triggers, or things that need attention, like the increase to more than 50 tons per day and the necessity for a state permit with an investigation by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
He noted an authorization to construct and operate a large solid waste handling facility will be needed, and a minor modification for the site assignment will be required from the Hudson Board of Health.
“Once the new one is operating, the town and B-P will terminate operation of the existing one, and the building will remain for DPW use,” Jablonowski said.
Epsilon Associates is doing analyses now for the Environmental Impact Report, which involves requesting community feedback on concerns for the project. The completion is estimated to be done by the end of the summer.
He noted that the permitting by MassDEP is expected to extend through 2024 with construction estimated to start in 2025.
A public information session link is available at the B-P Trucking website at https://bptrucking.com/hudson-transfer-station-project-public-information-session/.
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