The Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance
What is the Alliance?
The Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance (BCSWA) was formed through an interlocal contract under Title 24, Chapter 121 of the Vermont Statutes in 2015. The Alliance consists of the Towns of Arlington, Bennington, Dorset, Glastenbury, Manchester, Pownal, Rupert, Sandgate, Searsburg, Shaftsbury, Stamford, Sunderland, and Woodford. The Alliance completed and adopted a solid waste implementation plan on November 17, 2015. This plan was subsequently approved by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources on December 14, 2015. Since then, the plan has been updated and amended as of August of 2021.
Mission and Goals:
The mission of the Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance is to reduce the amount of waste disposed in landfills, by incineration or similar means by reducing the amount of waste generated, conserving resources, and promoting recycling and reuse. To accomplish this, the Alliance has adopted the following goals:
- Reduce the generation of all solid waste, both disposed and diverted, by 10% between 2020 and 2025
- Decrease the amount of material disposed by 25% by 2025 from 2020 levels.
- Achieve a diversion rate of 50% by 2025.
- Increase food diverted to food rescue organizations by 10% by 2025
The Alliance is implementing education, outreach and other programs to assist residents and businesses in complying with the Universal Recycling Law, increasing reuse and recycling and reducing the amount of solid waste disposed in landfills. The Alliance programs will also help residents and businesses find solutions to the disposal of items such as electronic waste, fluorescent bulbs, paint, and others that contain hazardous materials and are banned from landfills.
Alliance Staff:
Michael Batcher, Program Director and Regional Planner
Bennington County Regional Commission
Paula Kamperman, Outreach Program Manager
Bennington County Solid Waste Alliance
Board Members:
- Cynthia Browning, Select Board Member of the Town of Arlington
- Nick Zaic, Town Administrator, Town of Arlington (Alternate)
- Stu Hurd, Treasurer, Town Manager of the Town of Bennington
- Rob Gaiotti, Secretary, Town Manager of the Town of Dorset
- Ricky Harrington, Town Supervisor of the Town of Glastenbury
- John O’Keefe, Town Manager of the Town of Manchester
- Tom Shuey, Transfer Station Operator for the Town of Pownal
- Mark Lourie, representing the Town of Rupert
- Karen Dzialo, Select Board Chair of the Town of Sandgate
- Chris Reynolds, Select Board Member of the Town of Searsburg
- Dave Kiernan, Town Administrator of the Town of Shaftsbury
- Nancy Bushika, Select Board Chair of the Town of Stamford
- Dixie Zens, Select Board Member of the Town of Sunderland
- Ryan Thurber, Select Board Chair of the Town of Woodford