Allenstown to fully reopen transfer station this spring

Allenstown will fully reopen its transfer station later this spring after nearly a year without solid waste disposal.

Residents approved a warrant article a few weeks ago allotting $150,000 “for the purposes of solid waste collection and disposal for Allenstown residents at the Transfer Station.” The money allows the Highway Department to resume trash services at the station, which initially shut down the majority of its operations when the town went into a default budget in 2025.

Road Agent Chad Pelissier, who runs the Highway Department, is in the process of talking to different vendors and determining the best path forward. If all goes according to plan, the transfer station could be back up and running by the start of May, barring any delays on contracts and such, he said.

“I think we have a board now that understands what the town’s looking for, and I think if they’re patient with us, we can bring back a lot of what they’re missing,” Chad said. “It might take a little bit of time as far as the recycling end of it goes.”

Throughout the past year, the transfer station has been accepting materials that cost nothing to dispose of, such as scrap metal, brush and leaves.

Kathleen Pelissier, Chad’s wife, sits on the Select Board and was responsible for putting forth the petition warrant article to allocate money for trash services.

“I think trash is just, it’s a fundamental resource that you need to live,” she said. “Any city or town, the residents there have to have a way to dispose of their trash. You can’t not provide that.”

The necessity of trash services is affirmed in state law, which the Department of Environmental Services found Allenstown to have violated last year by shutting down the station and leaving residents without another built-in option. The law states that “[e]ach town shall either provide a facility or assure access to another approved solid waste facility for its residents.”

When the transfer station stopped its solid waste and recycling services, residents needed to pay out-of-pocket for a private hauler or make the 30-minute round-trip to bring their trash to Concord, Chad said.

At the town’s deliberative session earlier this winter, Allenstown officials repeatedly mentioned the violation. The state agency “determined that as of May 17, 2025, Allenstown is not providing a solid waste facility or ensuring access to another facility for its residents and is out of compliance with NH RSA 149-M:17,” according to the letter. The town was notified of their finding in June.

Reopening the transfer station’s waste disposal services will bring the town back into compliance with the law.

Residents also approved a petition warrant article, similarly proposed by Kathleen, to set aside $25,000 in a newly-created recycling fund with the intent of reviving recycling in Allenstown.

The town ceased curbside collection for recycled materials in 2024 at the conclusion of its 10-year contract with Casella. Residents then had the option of bringing recycling to the transfer station, but when the highway department stopped collecting solid waste, recycling ended as well.

“When we entered the contract, single-stream recycling was worth anywhere between $30 and $40 a ton,” said Chad. “That’s what we would get paid to deliver it. And then at the end of the 10-year contract, towns were paying upwards of $100 a ton or more to get rid of single-stream recycling now.”

Kathleen said she was really excited that the recycling article passed.

“Setting up this revolving fund, attempting this pilot program will give us a chance to be successful and to make people feel like they’re taking care of the environment and helping save money in the process,” she said.

Cardboard and aluminum are two materials that could bring in revenue when separated from solid waste, according to Chad.

“Even if there’s not a lot of money in the selling of the material, there’s a cost savings in pulling it out of the waste stream because you’re not paying for it by the ton,” he said.

Beginning as soon as May, the transfer station will likely be open on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, in addition to most of the day on Saturday.

The post Allenstown to fully reopen transfer station this spring appeared first on Concord Monitor.