by Sarah Reeves, Executive Director of the Chittenden Solid Waste District It’s easy to drop a piece of cardboard into a blue recycling bin and think nothing more of it, other than remembering to set your bin on the curb for pickup or bringing it to a drop off center. The good news is that recycling is second nature to many Vermonters. The bad news is, if you were to pull the curtain back and observe the next steps in that cardboard’s journey, you’d likely be surprised by how old and inefficient the facility is that sorts these materials into streams that can be made into new products.
The Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) built Vermont’s first major recycling center, known as a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Williston in 1993. After years of examination, deliberation, and forecasting with CSWD Staff, our Board of Commissioners has recognized that the MRF is inefficient, outdated and at capacity and is limiting the amount Vermonters can recycle. Today it is one of only a handful of recycling centers in the US that still relies on people for significant hand-sorting of materials.
As a result, CSWD’s Board of Commissioners has determined that a new and improved facility is in the public’s interest. To meet this demand, in June the Board authorized placing a question on the November ballot, asking Chittenden County voters to approve authorization for the District to issue general obligation bonds ($22 million) to fund the construction of, and equipment, for a new MRF.
If approved, this new facility will utilize tried-and-true technology to enable us to recycle more efficiently while also preserving jobs at the MRF in more varied positions. It will feature more space and improved ventilation and lighting, providing better working conditions for Vermont workers. It will allow us to address our serious capacity issues and be able to accept about 40% more material than the current facility can manage.
The new MRF will help us recycle more, conserving natural resources and helping reduce Vermont’s carbon footprint. It is being designed with the ability to adapt to future changes in recyclable materials, some of which are still on the drawing board or even ones that we can’t imagine yet. It will be a modern facility to match Vermonters’ love of recycling.
To fund this new MRF, CSWD needs Chittenden County voter approval in this year’s General Election to borrow $22 million. CSWD will pay back the loan from MRF operational revenue. Recent changes in Vermont election law made CSWD’s bond item ineligible to be included on the General Election ballot, and our ballot could not be mailed to voters by the Secretary of State nor by CSWD. So, how do you vote? Chittenden County voters can request the CSWD ballot via the My Voter page (mvp.vermont.gov) or from Town Clerks, and it will be available at all Chittenden County polling places on November 8.
CSWD’s mission is to reduce and manage the solid waste generated within Chittenden County in an environmentally sound, efficient, effective and economical manner. Half of Vermont relies on the CSWD MRF to keep valuable recyclables out of the Coventry landfill. While this aging MRF and the dedicated people who work there do an amazing job despite the facility’s limitations, CSWD’s Commissioners, representing our 18 member communities, recognize that the time has come for a new, publicly owned 21st-century MRF.
Sarah Reeves is the Executive Director of Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD). CSWD is a municipality created to implement solid waste management mandates legislated by the State of Vermont. The District is governed by a Board of Commissioners representing the communities of Chittenden County, Vermont. The CSWD’s mission is to reduce and manage the solid waste generated within Chittenden County in an environmentally sound, efficient, effective and economical manner.