
Torrington Transfer Station’s entrance.
Jennifer Almquist

Torrington Transfer Station’s entrance.
Municipal contracts with the state for refuse hauling expire in mid 2027. Before then, Northwest Corner towns must find a solution for municipal solid waste.
The Northwest Hills Council of Governments (NHCOG), a coalition of 21 town governments in the region, has for several years been weighing waste options. The prevailing plan as of February 2025 is to identify a central hub and create a regional waste authority to manage the operation.
To achieve this, NHCOG submitted an offer to purchase the existing Torrington Transfer Station, which has been operating since 1988, from the state agency Materials Innovation and Recycling Authority Dissolution Authority (MIRA-DA).
Currently the Torrington facility processes 25,000 tons per year of waste, recyclables, bulky items, and has a capacity to expand that to 60,000 tons. The 4.7-acre Torrington Transfer Station on Vista Drive is operated by a third-party contractor, Enviro Express Inc. in Bridgeport.
The Torrington site has an unused rail spur that could be used for waste hauling. The projected total cost of operation of the Torrington Transfer Station for Fiscal Year 2026 is $4,736,907 according to the dissolution authority.
Since the Hartford plant closed in July of 2022, MIRA-DA operates just two transfer stations in the state: one in Essex and one in Torrington.
Waste received at the Torrington Transfer Station is consolidated onto transfer trailers then delivered to the Keystone sanitary landfill in Pennsylvania. Recycling is consolidated onto transfer trailers and delivered to privately operated processing facilities in Willimantic or Berlin, where it is sorted, baled, and sold to be made into new consumer products.
Of the 21 towns in the Northwest Corner, 11 still maintain a contract with MIRA-DA. The remainder of the towns have hired private haulers, such as USA Waste and Recycling.
NHCOG members have been operating on the understanding that they have until June 30, 2027, to secure new contracts. It was recently learned that the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) is the successor agency to MIRA-DA effective July 1, 2025. Town representatives were surprised to learn that DAS is not required to honor existing town contracts. The actual contractual expiration date is unclear, which has caused confusion they hope to resolve.
Winchester Mayor and Administrator of the Barkhamsted Transfer Station Todd Arcelaschi said “Forming a regional waste authority is much more complicated than just the NHCOG simply forming one. Once one is formed, it would then be up to all the towns to take steps to join the RWA, it isn’t automatic.” He went on, ”The Torrington Transfer Station has four or five tractor trailers that ship the municipal waste to Pennsylvania, and the Recycling to Automated in Berlin.The NHCOG would likely be operating the same way, hiring a company to run the transfer station. That company would be responsible for the trucking, so the COG would not have to purchase trucks.”
The dissolution authority had agreed to keep the tipping fee — a fee paid by those who dispose of waste in a landfill, based on the weight of the disposed waste — at $131 per ton until 2027.Connecticut residents produce 3.5 million tons of municipal solid waste annually, yet the state only has capacity for 2.7 million tons.
Members of the NHCOG spoke at the Jan. 15, 2025, meeting of MIRA-DA in Hartford, who made their minutes public online.
Curtis Rand, Salisbury First Selectman, described the good work done by Sharon and Salisbury in the areas of recycling and composting. He stated that he thought the town had until June 2027 and was stunned when he learned that the contract could end as early as mid 2025. He asked for the dissolution authority’s help in maintaining the Torrington Transfer Station as a public option for the towns.
“It is in the public interest to try to keep some public option for our trash disposal in the Northwest Hills, especially for small towns that generally do not have a lot of staff.”
— Gordon Ridgway, Cornwall First Selectman
Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway stated his belief that “it is in the public interest to try to keep some public option for our trash disposal in the Northwest Hills, especially for small towns that generally do not have a lot of staff.” He echoed Rand’s comments that the towns thought they had two years to work out a solution. He asked for some time and cooperation to work out an equitable solution that ideally is in the public interest.
New Hartford First Selectman Dan Jerram, chairman of NHCOG, noted that “all 21 towns in our council voted in favor of pursuing the Torrington Transfer Station to maintain it as a public option because they thought it was important for the long-term future.”
Goshen First Selectman Todd Carusillo stated, “the towns have been working on transitioning the transfer station to the towns for the last few months, after learning the time frame had been shortened from 2027 to 2025. I am concerned about the potential for one company coming in and creating a monopoly by buying all the transfer stations in the region. This would result in the towns losing control over solid waste tip fees.”
David Barger, first selectman of Falls Village, added, “Transitioning the Torrington Transfer Station to the towns is keeping in line with Governor Lamont’s plan to regionalize services across the state.”
Winsted/Winchester is among the NHCOG towns that has opted to sign with a private hauler rather than wait for a public solution.
Paul Harrington, town manager of Winchester, explained, “While we’re making progress in developing regional waste solutions, we must ensure that any long-term arrangement is both financially sustainable and operationally efficient. Waste collection is an essential weekly service that must continue uninterrupted, but it needs to be delivered in the most cost-effective manner possible, especially given the constraints of municipal budgets.”
Jennifer Heaton Jones, executive director of the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority, a solid waste/recycling authority in Western Connecticut, weighed in, “It is hard to form a regional waste authority. The Northwest Hills geographically are difficult transportation wise; your resources are very different than other parts of the state. So, to create a regional authority to leverage contracts is very different than other regions in Connecticut.”
Heaton-Jones added, “We as a state need to really reconsider how we look at the MSW. We could reduce the amount of waste that we are producing and going to out-of-state landfills. We can consider how we are taking food waste out of the waste stream. Through programs, through better education.”
Food waste represents 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions and 58% of methane emissions from landfills come from food waste.
In summation, Rand said, “You know, I think there is a hope that we can get the Torrington Transfer Station and work together at least for the next couple of years to fulfill our contract with MIRA till July 2027. There’s a common theme: we would like to preserve some public type of entity to manage our garbage, and that’s pretty simple. We also need to be aware of the amount of waste we are creating, and we need to find ways to make less of it. That’s just a very simple statement.Whether it’s buying less, producing less, recycling more, composting; we’ve got to get this volume of garbage down.”
All recent deliberations by MIRA-DA and by NHCOG have been done in executive session. Selectman Rand predicts definitive results in the next few weeks as to the status of the Torrington Tranfer Station and the formation of a regional waste authority.
The shuttered former waste-to-energy plant in Hartford was responsible for processing approximately one-third of the state’s solid waste by burning it to generate electricity.
Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.
Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.
SNOW PLOWING: Be Ready! Local. Sharon/Millerton/Lakeville area. Call 518-567-8277.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.

Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.
The weekend of Homecoming at HVRHS was packed with events including rival games under the lights, senior night, and a new take on Homecoming that moves it outside — and it wouldn’t have been possible without the students of Housatonic.
Orchestrating was no easy feat, especially considering much of the work was left up to the students.
Historically, HVRHS has hosted night games for boys and girls soccer and the GNH football team, but when members of the soccer team asked the athletic director, Anne MacNeil, she left it up to the students to acquire the lights necessary to host a night game.
“I said, ‘Hey, if you can find the lights, we can make it happen,’” MacNeil said. “I usually take control of it, but I really wanted to have the teams have the initiative and take responsibility for it. I think by having them do that, they have a lot more invested in it.”
Finding lights for the game was a challenge in and of itself, and it fell on the students, parents, and alumni to come together if there was to be a night game at all.
Luckily for the players, Patricia and Dino Labbadia, parents of senior Anthony Labaddia, were able to amass the support of the community and get all the necessary equipment donated for the night game.
“We’re fortunate with our communities. Our parents know people in communities and they were able to ask… [and] find the resources,” MacNeil said. “We’ve got a great senior group and senior parent group who have really taken charge … and really made the whole season possible.”
In the end, the night came together spectacularly, and the senior ceremonies, rivalry games, and nighttime fixtures made for a memorable night on the day before Homecoming.
The action began at 4 p.m. Thursday, when the JV Girls Volleyball team played rivals Lakeview High School at home.
At 4:30, the middle school boys soccer team as well as the cross country team faced Northwestern at Housatonic’s lower field and cross country course respectively. Also at 4:30, the JV boys soccer team took on rival Lakeview at Housatonic’s upper field.
At 5:15, the girls varsity volleyball team honored their seniors at Housatonic’s Senior Night ceremony, including captains Katie Crane and Victoria Brooks, before an intense match against Lakeview.
At 6:15, the boys varsity soccer team honored their seniors, including captains Everet Belancik and Abram Kirshner, before kicking off under the lights at Housatonic’s upper field against the Bobcats.
Friday night changes
Typically, Homecoming is hosted in the cafeteria with a DJ and the entire room open as a dance floor. Dancing is the main event, with a small photo op stationed next to one of the exits.
The typical formal dance filled with LED lights and glitter looked a bit different this year. For the HVRHS 2025 Homecoming, the activities all took place outside. There was a large bonfire for students to hang around, a tented area perfect for dancing, and lawn games to play.
The inspiration for this change comes from the Homecoming hosted during the COVID-19 social distancing restrictions put into place at the time. Senior class President Madison Graney said “Other years passed, graduating classes really enjoyed it and we wanted to give it a try.”
Although the theme of Homecoming remains the same, new tasks came in preparation for the event. Including the Bonfire “adds a whole new component,” Graney said. “[We] have to contact the fire department to ensure that the bonfire is being contained.” Hosting the dance outside also demanded “more preparation the day before … set up the tents and make sure it’s a safe and fun space for everyone to enjoy.”
Opinions about Homecoming’s new look vary amongst the student body, with some excited for change and others comfortable with the familiarity of an inside dance. Alexa Meach, an HVRHS senior, expressed that “Everyone that I’ve talked to’s plan is to get dressed up, take photos, and then change into more comfortable clothes because it’s going to be freezing. I feel like we could have had a different event for the bonfire. I think they could have been two separate events.”
Graney said the change is “A really great way to change up the tradition ... [and] another good way to get to know your peers and your teachers and interact with the student body all at once.”