A newly formed regional waste authority will take control of the Torrington transfer station on July 1, capping a year-long effort by Northwest Connecticut towns to keep the facility in public hands.
The Northwest Regional Refuse Authority (NRRA), representing several Northwest Corner towns, will assume ownership of the transfer station following legislation signed by Gov. Ned Lamont in May transferring the property to the consortium.
The authority was created in 2025 after a proposed $3.25 million sale of the Torrington Transfer Station to a private waste company alarmed local officials, who feared the loss of a public disposal option could eventually lead to higher costs and a monopoly on waste services in the region.
Municipal leaders argued that private ownership could result in higher tipping fees — the per-ton charges municipalities pay to dispose of household trash — a major expense that directly affects local budgets and taxpayers. The state ultimately blocked the sale, prompting municipalities to organize a regional authority to take over the facility instead.
The NRRA includes Salisbury, Sharon, Cornwall, Falls Village, North Canaan, Norfolk, Goshen, Colebrook and Torrington. Kent is not participating because it already belongs to the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority, a separate regional waste authority that NRRA plans to emulate.
The Torrington Transfer Station has served as a key disposal hub for Northwest Connecticut communities for decades. Its future became uncertain after the state announced plans to end its operation of the facility more than a year ahead of schedule.
Officials across the Northwest Corner quickly embraced the NRRA proposal. Voters in member towns approved ordinances to join, creating a coalition aimed at maintaining local control over waste disposal.
“The concern that a lot of people have is that if the site were sold to a private hauler, there could potentially be a monopoly in the Northwest Corner when it comes to garbage,” Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan said when the town approved the ordinance. “That might not be an issue today, but five or 10 years from now it could be a major problem for communities like ours.”
Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said the authority will allow towns to work together on disposal contracts, recycling initiatives and grant opportunities while maintaining local oversight.
“We will hopefully get the lowest price possible,” Ridgway said. “We’re not in it to make money. We’re in it to manage costs.”
The NRRA is still in its infancy and has yet to finalize tipping fees, though officials expect them to remain largely unchanged.
Falls Village First Selectman Dave Barger said preserving local control was a key reason his town joined the authority.
“It provides us with an opportunity to stabilize tipping fees,” Barger said. “It provides us with local control. We can also set our own recycling policies.”
Barger said the authority’s broader goal is to preserve a public option for waste disposal rather than relying entirely on private contractors.
The governing board, made up of the first selectman from each member town, will oversee future decisions regarding disposal contracts, recycling programs and operations at the Torrington facility.
For residents, little is expected to change immediately. Local transfer stations will continue operating as they do today, and existing collection systems will remain in place.
The difference, local officials say, is that decisions about the region’s waste disposal system will now be made by the municipalities that use it rather than by the state or a private operator.
