Grantham tightens Transfer Station hours and prepares for state landfill surcharge

The Grantham Board of Selectmen voted Aug. 13 to change Transfer Station closing hours on busy days and to move forward with a community survey to guide future service and expansion decisions.

Transfer Station Supervisor Dana Ramspott told the board that effective Jan. 5, 2026, towns that send solid waste to landfills will incur a state surcharge of $3.50 per ton to fund facility staffing; Ramspott said the town can apply for grants but that he did not yet know Grantham’s annual tonnage or the precise list of items covered by the surcharge. He proposed enforcing the existing advisory to "arrive 15 minutes before close" by closing the gate at 3:45 p.m. on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays to prevent employees from working unpaid overtime. The board approved the hours change unanimously.

Resident Jason Healy asked whether the town could accept a non‑adhesive proof of eligibility instead of the windshield sticker; Chair Warren Kimball and Police Chief John Parsons said the board adopted a uniform sticker location to prevent transferability and maintain a consistent policy. "If you start going afield or afoul of that policy to make an exception here and an exception there, you might as well scrap the whole thing," Parsons said.

The Building Needs Committee requested permission to conduct a community survey on Transfer Station use and potential improvements (hours, swap‑shop, food‑waste, signage, and resident awareness of recycling benefits). The board approved the committee’s motion to proceed and members said they will coordinate timing with the Master Plan survey, which is due to close Oct. 31, 2025.

Ramspott said he will return with the town’s annual tonnage figures and clarification of surcharge applicability so the Board can budget for the new fee.