DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board this week brainstormed some ways to increase use and revenues at the transfer station.  

 

The transfer station was budgeted at $244,626 this year and projected expenses are at $200,487. Although expenses are low this now, it does vary year to year, cautioned Town Manager Tom Hutcheson. 

 

The station's projected income is $178,847 with a subsidy from the town of $21,640. Historically the town's provided $11,000, with $7,000 in hazardous waste expenses, $3,000 for miscellaneous services, and $950 for state Department of Environmental Protection compliance, so the subsidy is up by $10,000, Hutcheson said. 

 

Although the subsidy has increased, the transfer station is able to offer more services which is something that they should celebrate, Select Board Chair Joseph Diver said. 

 

Reviewing invoices from July through November, the board members calculated the monthly expenditure at $11,301.12 on average based on a five-month total of $56,505.60. A year's expense was estimated at $135,613.44.

 

This coming fiscal year, operation and yard waste expenses are expected to rise by 3.75 percent, about $1,700, and contact services by 3 percent, or about $4,000.

 

The fiscal 2024 budget is estimated at $178,847 with a projected subsidy increase of $14,000 to total $25,171.

 

One member asked if it would be worth buying containers and compactors, which are currently rented from Casella Waste Systems. Diver said that option had been pegged at $850,000. Hutcheson said it would roughly be a 15-year payback if they were to buy all new equipment. 

 

"I think it's entirely possible to buy used containers but I would not buy used compressors simply because of the warranty issue," he said. 

 

Select Board member John Boyle said the major issue is the cost of hauling material. 

 

"It's gonna go up as long as diesel fuel stays up, like it is over $5 a gallon," he said. "The price is steadily creeping up and already rigged up a lot. That's the cost and I don't see any way we can do anything about it."

 

There are not other companies to haul trash away because Casella bought out all the county competition, Building Superintendent Patrick Pettit said, adding that most of the waste is trucked to Plattsburgh or Geneva, N.Y. 

 

One concern was that the transfer station would take away from small businesses but Hutcheson said it is offering more options to the public than a small business would be able to provide. 

 

"These are all more options than I think are being offered by the local smaller haulers. And and so I think that that can also help free your conscience from having to cut into any any private business," he said. 

 

Finance Committee member Dr. Thomas Irwin said one way to reduce the hauling fees is to join the Northern Berkshire Solid Waste Management District. The district is a 13-member municipal collaboration that pools resources to reduce costs.

 

The transfer station has sent a request inquiring on pricing, Irwin said, adding that if the board is interested, he would provide that information at the next meeting.

 

Pettit, however, said the data shows it is a lot cheaper to own a transfer station and offered some ways to reduce or remove the subsidy.

 

Dalton is only charging $32 to recycle a mattress and he suggested raising by $20 to match other municipalities. This would increase income by $6,500. The town could also raise the permit fee by $11 to $130 and bags by 47 cents. 

 

"Those are the basic options, you go split up between the bag stickers and the permit fees. Well, either way, it's gonna get pricier but unfortunately for the way it is with Casella, it's below 30 percent this year," Pettit said. 

 

Irwin countered by recommending the sticker price be reduced by $15, noting the number of stickers have dropped from 750 a few years ago to 579. 

 

"I don't think simply a correction in the fee structure is going to bring back that 100 people," said Boyle. "I think we have to be more aggressive. Maybe we have to market better."

 

Another option, said Irwin is pricing mattress recycling to $50 for residents and $55 for non-residents.

 

"There are additional items we're looking at accepting basically to have greater appeal to the larger Northern Berkshires, because out of the mattresses, we got in our trailer 60 percent of those are from out of town," he said. "If we were to increase the number of people from 579 to 700, we're looking at something in the neighborhood of 12,000 extra dollars per year that we're going to be bringing in."

 

The town may also be undercharging for bulky waste fees so they should be looking into pricing options, Irwin said. 

 

There is also the possibility of buying a portable weight scale at approximately $3,350 to charge per pound, reviewing how much is coming in by truck and by resident, using a point of sale system (at a cost of $90 a month) to decrease labor costs, and adding in a compost system.

 

"The town as a public entity can also have as a policy to reduce waste," Hutcheson said. "And we can do education, and we can do practices at the transfer station that help people lower the total amount of waste that's being thrown away."