USA presents contract options for municipal solid waste

TORRINGTON — On May 29, selectmen in the Northwest Corner were given four options for solid waste contracts by MIRA Dissolution Authority (MIRA-DA) and USA Waste & Recycling.

The presentation was made two weeks after MIRA-DA’s acceptance of a $3.25 million offer from USA to purchase the Torrington Transfer Station.

The options for towns were: sign a five-year contract with USA; sign a 10-year contract with USA; continue with current municipal service agreements until June 30, 2027; or opt out and find an alternative solution.

Following the 2022 closure of the state’s trash-to-energy plant in Hartford, towns were given five years to establish alternative destinations for solid waste. Under the service agreements, tipping fees were set for municipal solid waste at $136 per ton in 2026 and $141 per ton in 2027. There is no fee for recycling tonnage under the existing agreements.

USA’s proposed contracts vary in price.

In USA’s five-year contract, MSW tipping fees start at $120 per ton in 2026 and rise to $141.75 per ton by 2030. For recycling, fees start at up to $45 per ton in 2026 and increase to a maximum of $75 per ton by 2030.

In USA’s 10-year contract, MSW tipping fees start at $118 per ton in 2026 and rise to an unlisted amount in 2035, which will be based on future consumer price index for garbage and trash collection. Recyclables similarly start at up to $45 per ton in 2026 with an unlisted price in 2035.

USA requested towns choose a plan by June 9 and enter into new contracts no later than July 2.

In a follow-up conversation, Falls Village First Selectman Dave Barger said more time is needed. “We’ve got to look at the contract and have our town counsel look at the contract” before a decision is made.

Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway said there is no rush to decide, but the prices from USA are likely to increase if the “sweetheart deal” is not accepted.

Regarding the fourth option, Ridgway said, “We have heard from some other companies that are interested in some sort of regional project.” He noted the preferred option of many Northwest Corner towns is to develop a regional waste authority. “We just don’t have enough information at this point in my mind to lock into a five- or 10-year contract.”

North Canaan First Selectman Brian Ohler said some have doubted MIRA-DA’s authority to sell the Torrington Transfer Station to a private company without going out to bid. “What we’re hearing is it’s not that simple for MIRA. They essentially hand-picked a hauling company without going out to bid,” said Ohler at a selectmen’s meeting June 2.

Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan plans to wait and consider the options. “I’m in the camp of letting the remainder of our contract just run for the next two years and see what our options are.”

Salisbury First Selectman Curtis Rand was on the same page.

The sole Region One town spared from the current solid waste uncertainty is Kent, which is part of the Housatonic Resource Recovery Authority. Kent is the northernmost member of the 14-town regional effort that stretches south to Ridgefield.

Towns in the Northwest Corner expressed interest in joining HRRA last year but were denied. Since then, the Northwest Hills Council of Governments had been working to establish its own regional effort using the Torrington Transfer Station as a central hub.

MIRA-DA, owner of the Torrington Transfer Station, was collaborating with the towns until last month when an agreement to privately sell the facility to USA was accepted. Now the path forward is uncertain.

“The water is muddy and murky,” said Ohler.