Starting July 1, 2025, Newtown residents will no longer pay for transfer station permits. Instead, those who use the Town transfer station on Ethan Allen Road will be required to purchase town-branded blue bags. The bags are part of the new save-as-you-throw program (formerly referred to as pay-as-you-throw).

This is how the program works: Residents will still have to register their car to obtain a Transfer Station permit, but instead of paying a $100 flat rate annually, plus the amount paid for garbage bags from the store, residents will now only be paying for the bags they use.

As approved during the January 8 Recycling Ad Hoc Committee minutes, Town branded blue bags will be sold at Public Works, 4 Turkey Hill Road; the transfer station; and location retailers (to be announced).

Costs will be as follows: 13-gallon bags: $1.05 per bag, sold by the box or roll; 32-gallon bags: $2.60 per bag, sold by the box or roll; and 55-gallon bags: $4.40 per bag, sold by the roll.

As of July 1, 2025, black contractor bags and all other non-town branded bags will not be accepted at the Transfer Station.

The decision, according to a mailer all Newtown residents should receive soon, is part of a "strategic plan to address the rising costs of waste disposal and increase recycling." The Ad Hoc Recycling Committee presented its findings and recommendations following last year's pilot program, when residents were issued orange waste bags branded with the Town seal and told to use only those bags for trash disposal at the transfer station.

By The Numbers

Similar to the orange bag pilot program launched last year, if residents fill two garbage bags a week, they will pay approximately $109 a year. Though this cost is more than the original permit cost, it covers the cost of the bags and access to the transfer station. The previous transfer station fees did not include bags from the grocery store/vendor of choice.

Housatonic Resources and Recovery Authority (HRRA) Executive Director Jennifer Heaton-Jones said the change “should be a positive thing … this is a positive change.”

She explained the transfer station permit fee as this: “The Town of Newtown took all of the waste out of the transfer station, divided it amongst all the permittees, and came up with $100 to cover the cost of just garbage.”

“The $100 transfer station fee doesn’t cover the cost of the entire transfer station operation, or any other material that has to be disposed of … so no matter how much or how little a household generated garbage, they paid one set fee,” she continued

Heaton-Jones added that the flat rate creates little incentive to participate in recycling or food scraps recycling. Organic material — material that can be composted — can be up to 33% of a household’s garbage. If people recycle properly, donate textiles, and participate in food scrap recycling, the weight of garbage drops significantly.

“In the Town-branded blue bag system ... or save-as-you-throw … each family or individual pays for what they generate,” Heaton-Jones said. “Two bags a week would be $109. Now, yes, it’s $9 more than the $100, but you’re paying for what you threw away. That covers the cost of the garbage bag. You probably paid that much for your trash bags as well, you just don’t know it.”

Heaton-Jones continued, painting the picture for senior citizens who might only throw out one bag of garbage every two weeks. That averages to about $27 a year, she noted.

“They are definitely going to pay much less, and they’re not subsidizing the family [that produces more trash]. It’s a more equitable system," Heaton-Jones said.

Heaton-Jones said all but one transfer station within the HRRA region use a save-as-you-throw system. Many towns charge way more per bag than Newtown will, she added.

With the colored bag system, residents pre-pay for their disposal when they buy the bags and can simply drop off their trash at the transfer station and be on their way.

Other Transfer Station Services

Other Transfer Station disposal services will remain the same. Bulky waste is now restricted to large household items such as chairs, laundry baskets, and rugs, and will be free. Food scraps recycling and recycling will also remain free of charge for Newtown residents. Construction and demolition materials will remain at the same price of $95 per cubic yard.

Residents with extra orange bags from the pilot program are advised that the last date those bags can be used at the Transfer Station is June 30. If there are leftover bags, residents are asked to bring them to Public Works. Public Works will use the remainder of the orange bags in the schools and around municipal buildings.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com.