Colrain adopts new Transfer Station rules, effective Feb. 1
Published: 01-18-2025 2:01 PM |
COLRAIN — Effective Feb. 1, Colrain Transfer Station users will have to abide by a new set a rules geared toward keeping the property a clean and safe environment for attendants and patrons.
Rules include a 50-pound weight limit on trash bags and a requirement that trash be disposed of in sealed bags with the sticker clearly visible. Transfer Station users must pay first before disposing of their items; ensure that waste is properly sorted and recycling is separated from garbage; and keep children and pets inside of their vehicle while on the property.
Users must also follow the instructions of Transfer Station attendants and treat attendants with civility.
“It should be pretty straightforward. Some of the things, I think, are just common sense,” Town Administrator Diana Parsons said.
The new rules were approved by the Selectboard last week after hearing from Transfer Station attendant John Tynan, who said the station runs smoothly for the most part, but occasionally there are situations where having an official set of rules for visitors would be beneficial.
“Most people are pretty good. They’re very courteous and they do things the right way,” Tynan explained. “It’s always the smaller group of folks you’ve gotta make these rules for.”
There have been situations where people have dumped loose trash into the compactor, left their bags in spots other than approved drop-off locations, or left pets or small children unsupervised.
Loose trash in the machine and unattended trash on the property is a safety hazard for the attendants, who have to clean it up when wind blows it away, said Jan Ameen, executive director of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District. While not all trash is dangerous or messy, there have been scenarios where people have thrown out diapers and needles that are not safe for staff to handle.
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“Because there’s so much pressure [in the compactor], when they pull the box out, trash blows out the opening,” Ameen said. “It’s really a worker safety issue.”
Tynan added that loose trash invites rats and other pests.
The rules will be posted at the Transfer Station at 7 Charlemont Road, as well as on its website. Failure to follow the rules may lead to the Selectboard revoking a person’s Transfer Station permit.
“We don’t want to make them the trash police,” Parsons said.
The Colrain Transfer Station is a “regional super site,” so any resident of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District’s member towns can go to the station to dispose of particular items, including hazardous materials such as oil and batteries, and bulky items like couches, tables and mattresses or scrap metal.
Colrain residents are also able to use the Greenfield Transfer Station. The other regional super site in the district is located in Conway.
Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.