Regional solid waste plan still in limbo

Regional solid waste plan still in limbo

Towns in Connecticut have until 2027 to secure solid waste hauling contracts.

Jennifer Almquist

Plans for Northwest Corner towns to join the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority (HRRA) have fallen through due to uncertainty surrounding the cost of the merger.

Leaders from across the region discussed the situation at a meeting of the Northwest Hills Council of Governments (COG) Sept. 12.

Contracts with the state for refuse hauling are due to expire in 2027, by which time municipalities must have alternate solutions in place. Some COG towns have signed contracts with USA Waste & Recycling, but as of the September meeting, eleven COG towns have yet to identify a new hauler (Barkhamsted, Canaan, Colebrook, Cornwall, Goshen, New Hartford, Norfolk, North Canaan, Salisbury, Sharon and Winsted).

HRRA represents 14 municipalities spanning from Kent to Ridgefield. Its model allows for local transfer stations to maintain standard operating procedure at no additional cost.

COG heard a presentation from HRRA in July and discussed the possibility of the 11 outlying towns joining the coalition. At a follow-up meeting, HRRA informed the COG that uncertainty regarding the municipal solid waste tonnage totals, along with the lack of a centralized collection center, prevented the group from extending an invitation to the northern towns.

COG is looking into purchasing the Torrington Transfer Station to use as a collection hub for the Northwest Corner towns. The idea is to short-haul refuse to Torrington, which can then be taken to recycling centers, incinerators, or out-of-state landfills.

COG was hopeful that by joining HRRA, the waste could be collected in Torrington, sorted by type, and hauled to HRRA’s network of processors. COG Chair Dan Jerram, first selectman of New Hartford, said the increased workload on HRRA’s small team would have been too much to take on.

“It seemed like a lot of work, and what was the benefit?” Jerram shared. He stressed the importance of COG moving forward with the Torrington Transfer Station purchase and finding a long-term partner for waste management.

Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand said Casella Waste Systems, a large interstate resource management provider in New England, is in the process of acquiring Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation (an Amenia, New York-based waste company that operates in Western Connecticut).

The sale is expected to be finalized before the end of 2024. Rand said there may be opportunities to work with Casella as it enters the Northwest Corner.

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less