A discussion of potential improvements to the transfer station took center stage as Legislative Councilman and Recycling Ad Hoc Committee member Ryan Knapp reported to the council at its August 17 meeting. The improvements are being recommended, Knapp said, to improve traffic flow — particularly for those disposing of their single stream recycling.

Public Works Director Fred Hurley told The Newtown Bee on August 26 that a number of changes are being looked at to improve traffic flow and “prevent traffic from backing up all the way to Route 25.”

The town in April approved $200,000 for improvements at the transfer station.

Transfer station improvements are “geared toward improvement in the traffic patterns for recycling and household garbage drop-off by removing congestion and traffic bottlenecks,” according to a resolution included in the minutes of the April 18 Board of Selectmen meeting.

“The goal is to create the capacity to handle a larger volume of citizen participation more quickly and efficiently,” stated the resolution. “This work will include everything from new traffic patterns and roadways to better lighting, signage and security camera coverage.”

Those improvements in particular are a priority for the town; the work could take a while but the town is currently seeking alternatives to its recycling contracts, which increased greatly in the last year and are looking like they will increase more.

Getting the transfer station improvements in place will help alleviate those costs. Additionally, town officials are considering the possibility of eliminating recycling pickup altogether in light of the cost increases.

Hurley said that currently about 40% of the town utilizes the transfer station’s recycling drop off. However, if recycling pickups were to end, the limitations on the site from the other 60% of town residents coming in would lead to a number of traffic hardships.

“Improvements are concerned with moving traffic through more rapidly and making the station able to handle a larger volume of customers,” said Hurley. “We want to make it a more user-friendly experience.”

There will be different queues for garbage and recycling, which will allow residents with only garbage to drop off to get in and out more quickly. There is also a dedicated line for commercial haulers.

The plan is to add signage to help direct people where to go, possibly color-coded to make it easier on visitors.

Hurley said the site will be “stretched out in a circular fashion to make it easier for cars to drop off and pass cars that are stopped to drop off. The inability to pass currently creates congestion in the transfer station at the entrance.

Some work is already going on at the site, including processing wood waste and piles of street millings.

“There are a lot of moving parts going on simultaneously,” said Hurley. “It takes time to do everything.”

The Recycling Ad Hoc Committee is expected to meet again in late September or early October to continue discussions.

Hurley also said that a site map may be ready by then, adding that any changes to the footprint of the transfer station also have to be submitted to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to show that the changes do not infringe on the landfill area.

Associate Editor Jim Taylor can be reached at jim@thebee.com.