Newly formed regional waste authority seeks grant funding to move forward

“There is great potential for the NRRA to assist with waste stream diversion and reduction, in addition to managing municipal solid waste for member towns,” —Rista Malanca, Development Director, Northwest Hills Council of Governments

TORRINGTON — The Northwest Hills Council of Governments voted to pursue a Sustainable Materials Management grant from the state to assist in building out a newly-formed regional waste authority.

The COG had been formulating the concept of a regional solid waste management authority for more than a year with the oversight of the Torrington Transfer Station as its primary purpose. The Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority Dissolution Authority, or MIRA-DA, which is managing the transfer of the station out of MIRA ownership as it winds down operations, had entered a non-binding agreement in February to allow NHCOG to take over control of the facility at the end of June.

On May 14, however, MIRA-DA accepted a $3.25 million offer from private firm USA Waste & Recycling to buy the transfer station, despite ample testimony from regional leaders on why sticking with the public option would be desirable to municipalities and residents.

At the time of the surprise move, The Lakeville Journal quoted Sharon First Selectmen Casey Flanagan in saying that he felt the sale likely eliminated the possibility for a regional, public solid waste management station in the near future: “I can’t see another facility being permitted.”

Despite the loss of the Torrington Transfer Station, the Torrington City Council voted on May 19 to establish the authority anyway, which is now called the Northwest Resource Recovery Authority, or the NRRA. As per the minutes of the Council meeting and public hearing, councilors and Public Works Director Raymond Drew noted concerns about losing private control of waste management streams due to the USA takeover.

These sentiments were echoed in a memo distributed to the NHCOG before the June 12 meeting by Economic Development Director Rista Malanca, who wrote, “There is great potential for the NRRA to assist with waste stream diversion and reduction, in addition to managing municipal solid waste for member towns.”

Torrington remains the only member of the NRRA as of June 16, though the ordinance that authorized its formation allows for other towns to join.

The COG is seeking $500,000 in funding from the state issued grant, known as an SMM-R2 grant, to perform a study on how the NRRA may achieve its “full potential” and develop an “action plan” for the new Authority.

Specifically, the proposed study will explore initiatives to improve efficiency in managing materials brought to the Torrington Transfer Station, but Malanca’s memo noted that this will depend on ownership decisions at the facility. It will also seek to locate partners and establish strategies to improve regional recycling programs, and brainstorm various other municipal programs and outreach campaigns to improve waste management in COG towns.

COG Executive Director Robert Phillips was careful to note that the application will not interfere with efforts from Salisbury and Sharon for a SMM-R2 grants to improve composting and explore a unit-based pricing systems at the towns’ shared transfer station. The grant is divided into several categories with different funding pools, of which Salisbury and Sharon are applying to one and the COG is applying to another.

“We don’t want to compete with ourselves,” said Phillips.