Pepperell health board continues composting cease-and-desist hearing

Board of Health · Meeting of June 9, 2026

Pepperell Board of Health keeps composting cease-and-desist in place, punts to zoning board. The board voted unanimously to continue a contested hearing over a composting operation at 57 Nashua Road, leaving a June 4 cease-and-desist order in effect while it awaits a Zoning Board of Appeals ruling on whether composting is a permitted or grandfathered use there. Attorney Robert Cirillo, representing the property trustee, called the order "arbitrary and capricious," citing a wetlands consultant's review of decades of aerial imagery.

Seven Merrimack Drive and Deerfield Drive residents, describing roughly 70 affected homes, testified to severe odor and fly problems since around October 2025, with one calling the smell "vile, beyond vile." The board's health agent recommended upholding the order absent a state exemption or permit. Separately, the board approved a 25-foot well setback variance for 140 Chestnut Street on an emergency basis for applicants Bob and Robin Accomazo.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,371 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of June 9, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.