North Canaan Transfer Station revamps services, appearance

North Canaan Transfer Station revamps services, appearance

The 40-foot mural by Cheri Johnson.

Kayla Jacquier

NORTH CANAAN — Since the new town administration entered office in November 2023, the Transfer Station has seen a complete overhaul.

All areas of waste management have been reimagined with residents in mind. The main goal of First Selectman Brian Ohler was to improve the station’s operations by “keeping it clean, efficient and welcoming” to achieve both a “visual and tangible result.”

To start, the appearance of the area welcomes townspeople with the vibrant 40-foot-long mural painted on an original shipping container. Local artist Cheri Johnson is a town resident who also produced the Steve Blass Field dugout art. Without any guidelines to direct the inspiration, Cheri envisioned and portrayed all of her unique inspiration to create the evolution of plastics to greenery. From left to right, the mural begins with images of plastic bottles and waste, depicts the process of recycling, and ultimately shows all the beautiful nature, plants, and butterflies that are here when we keep the planet green.

The efficiency of operations has been improved for residents with a straightforward one-way loop and stopping points for trash and recycling drop offs.

Waste bins have been reworked too. This change was designed to make the bins more weather resistant; when the stormwater collects in the bins, the town is required to pay for the weight that accumulates. As a solution, the waste bins are now covered with tarps at night. The result for the town has been thousands of dollars saved in the first half of the year.

The Transfer Station garage is now home to a swap shop.Kayla Jacquier

The Transfer Station is embracing a “revolving door” of reusing items, as First Selectman Brian Ohler stated, by incorporating the empty area in the two-bay garage out front and turning it into a swap shop. This is a way to allow others to find hidden treasures while saving themselves money and minimizing the items thrown into the waste bin, adding weight.

Finally, the last change for the town relates to brush chipping, which is no longer offered. Although the town crew will continue to clean up the local land after harsh weather, chipping is a highly unsafe task. The transfer station has taken safety measures by discontinuing chipping, but will still collect any brush free of charge as a solution to disposal.

This coming fall, North Canaan will start the compost program where authorized food waste and brush will be turned into compost products. The ability to produce an aggregate from disregarded products that would otherwise be considered trash is rewarding for the town. With their paid stickers, community members will then be able to bring home the compost and keep the environment clean in a greater way than before.

While panning the view of the updated transfer station, Ohler remarked, “It’s so nice to go to the dump and it’s not a dump anymore.”

Latest News

Join us for


 

  

Keep ReadingShow less
Summer Nights of Canaan

Wednesday, July 16

Cobbler n’ Cream
5 to 7 p.m.
Freund’s Farm Market & Bakery | 324 Norfolk Rd.

Canaan Carnival
6 to 10 p.m.
Bunny McGuire Park

Keep ReadingShow less
When the guide gets it wrong

Rosa setigera is a native climbing rose whose simple flowers allow bees to easily collect pollen.

Dee Salomon

After moving to West Cornwall in 2012, we were given a thoughtful housewarming gift: the 1997 edition of “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs.” We were told the encyclopedic volume was the definitive gardener’s reference guide — a fact I already knew, having purchased one several months earlier at the recommendation of a gardener I admire.

At the time, we were in the thick of winter invasive removal, and I enjoyed reading and dreaming about the trees and shrubs I could plant to fill in the bare spots where the bittersweet, barberry, multiflora rose and other invasive plants had been.Years later, I purchased the 2011 edition, updated and inclusive of plants for warm climates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A few highlights from Upstate Art Weekend 2025

Foxtrot Farm & Flowers’ historic barn space during UAW’s 2024 exhibition entitled “Unruly Edges.”

Brian Gersten

Art lovers, mark your calendars. The sixth edition of Upstate Art Weekend (UAW) returns July 17 to 21, with an exciting lineup of exhibitions and events celebrating the cultural vibrancy of the region. Spanning eight counties and over 130 venues, UAW invites residents and visitors alike to explore the Hudson Valley’s thriving creative communities.

Here’s a preview of four must-see exhibitions in the area:

Keep ReadingShow less