COVENTRY, Vt. (WCAX) – Time is running out to find a new home for Vermont’s trash.
Most of us don’t really think about our trash once it’s in the can, but leaders say we’ll need to in order to prevent a pileup.
Food wrappers, styrofoam, pet waste…it all ends up in Coventry’s landfill.
Locals see and smell the pileup.
“The rest of the state, this is out of sight, out of mind. But for the people that live here, it’s definitely in sight and it’s in smell,” said Teresa Gerade of Newport.
The pileup is growing with just 20 years of space left in the landfill – but what comes next is unclear.
“What is the state’s Plan B?” asked Gerade.
“Reduce, reuse, and repair,” said Josh Kelly of the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources.
Vermont recently released a five-year waste plan, but it doesn’t outline where waste will go once the 130-acre landfill runs out of space.
Instead, it invests in waste reduction, like a new partnership with repair businesses to give old items new life.
“I think if we can address reproduction, we’re actually getting at the beginning of the waste stream, rather than dealing with it on the back end,” said Kelly.
The back end ultimately falls to landfill owner Casella Waste Systems.
It’s reported that they could expand the facility to tack on a few more years worth of space. However, they say it’s too soon to make a move, instead focusing on waste reduction too.
“I don’t think we’re at a place where we’re really moving forward with expansion plans, or, you know, evaluative processes to see what other facilities might be available,” said Jeff Weld of Casella.
That means it’s on Vermonters to contribute less trash to Coventry.
A recent report found Vermont’s waste decreased by around 5% from 2018 to 2023, and Kelly believes we can keep up the momentum.
“We find that the Vermont population is really responsive with these ideas when they get into them,” he said.
Still, whether Vermonters follow through or not, they need reliable space for waste they least expect – like flood wreckage.
“What’s the plan for this? Where are the emergency plans? Because it’s becoming more and more prevalent,” said Weld.
Some locals worry that Casella would take in more out-of-state waste if Vermonters successfully decrease theirs.
But Casella says Vermont holds its waste to a higher standard than surrounding states typically meet – meaning most of Coventry’s landfill capacity is reserved for Vermont trash.