A Massachusetts business that recycles clean, natural wood waste into mulch and other materials is set to open in Waterville. Dan Smith, owner of D.H. Smith & Sons of Marshfield, Massachusetts, told the Planning Board that the recycling facility, Smith Forest Products, will accept brush, logs, chunk wood, stumps, grass, leaves and wood chips. Contractors and homeowners may bring debris to the facility for a fee. The waste is then recycled into mulch or other products.
Smith is under contract to buy the lot from the city for $60,000. The site is about 3 acres at the south end of Airport Road. The wood waste is ground, seasoned and color enhanced as part of the process, according to the company, and stumps are sheared, cleaned and ground. Remaining wood chips and grindings are made into mulch products.
Calling the operation “green waste recycling,” Smith said it would take mostly wood waste from the forest. “We like to cater to the landscapers, the arborists, the tree guys, the local tree clearers,” he said. Smith said he planned to clear and grade the site this year. While he had also planned to erect a building this year, he said he recently received a quote on metal buildings and the price had doubled, so he will wait to see if prices decrease.