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Alton Select Board discusses whether to allow commercial trash haulers at transfer station; no policy change
Summary
The Alton Select Board spent part of its Sept. 23 meeting discussing whether to permit commercial haulers to bring large quantities of trash to the town transfer station. No formal policy or vote was taken; staff and board members flagged capacity and operational concerns and said the town should consider a policy later.
Alton — The Alton Select Board on Sept. 23 discussed whether the town should allow individuals hauling other residents’ trash as a commercial enterprise to use the municipal transfer station, but took no formal vote or action.
The issue was introduced by Select Board Chair, who asked town staff to outline the problem; Seth, transfer station staff, told the board an individual hauling trash “more as a business for other residents within town” had inquired about using the facility. “So the question came up for the board as to how they would wanna handle it, if they want to allow that, if they want to charge for it, and how that may affect the day to day operations of the solid waste center,” Seth said.
Board members raised operational concerns. One member said commercial hauling “would be an extra stressor” for staff and could complicate scheduling and operations when large loads arrived. Another board member said they did not think commercial hauling “should really be allowed in there at all,” calling it their personal view.
Seth and other staff noted that recent deliveries of demolition trailers and large dump-trailer loads have at times overwhelmed day-to-day operations, and that the transfer station has not yet seen regular commercial vehicles bringing large household quantities. “We haven't had any commercial vehicles coming in with large amounts of trash as of yet,” one staff speaker said, adding that the town could consider drafting a policy “down the road” to address larger quantities and commercial activity.
The board did not adopt a policy at the meeting. Members discussed reviewing and possibly drafting rules for commercial activity at the transfer station at a later date, but gave no specific direction, timeline or motion to staff.
The discussion referenced town staff observations (including Scott Simons) about recent high-volume demo loads and noted the potential need to balance public access to the facility with staffing limits.
What happens next: Board members said the topic could be revisited once staff draft a proposed policy or report back with recommended rules and operational impacts; no date was set at the meeting.
Ending: The board then moved on to other agenda items, including a series of routine approvals and liquor-license requests.
