On July 1 of this year, residents who use the transfer station will only be permitted to dispose of town-branded blue bags as part of the implementation of the new save-as-you-throw (SAYT) program. No other bags will be used after July 1, including the previous orange bags used for the pilot program.

For those with extra orange bags who are wondering what to do with them, they can be donated to public works or save them for other purposes, such as donating clothes or other items to local thrift stores.

The blue bags come in 3 different sizes: 13-gallon, 32-gallon, and 55-gallon. All of the bags are sold in rolls of 10. The 13-gallon bags are $1.05 per bag, 32-gallon bags are $2.60 per bag, and 55-gallon bags are $4.40 per bag. The 13-gallon and 55-gallon bags will be available for purchase retail and through the Transfer Station, though Fred Hurley, director of Public Works, is encouraging residents to purchase the bags retail.

There are two locations that are selling the town-branded blue bags right now: CVS, 6 Queen Street, and Newtown Hardware, 61 Church Hill Road. After July 1, several more locations will carry the bags, including Big Y, 6 Queen Street; Stop & Shop, 228 South Main Street; Caraluzzi’s Newtown Market, 5 Queen Street; and Walgreens, 49 South Main Street.

Bulky waste will remain free, but no bags will be allowed in bulky waste. Packing peanuts will also go into bulky waste, though they must be put into a clear bag to prevent them from flying all over the Transfer Station property. In addition to bulky waste remaining free, there will also be the addition of a “swap shop” where transfer station permit holders can drop items off where bulky waste “used to be prior to the redesign of the Transfer Station,” Hurley explained.

“Ideally, what we’d like to get people to do is get in the habit of dropping an item off and taking one of the other items with them,” Hurley said. An example of an acceptable item would be a piece of furniture that is relatively clean and intact, or has some “life left in them,” Hurley pointed out.

Transfer Station permits are now free for residents and will last two years instead of one. Residents will need a permit to enter the Transfer Station and to obtain a permit, will have “to re-establish with their registration and license that they’re a Newtown resident and that their car is a Newtown car,” Hurley said.

Transfer Station employees will be enforcing these new changes. Enforcement can look like police involvement, a $500 fine, or termination of Transfer Station privileges.

Public Works is asking residents to be kind to the Transfer Station employees as they are not the decision makers, just the enforcers.

For those looking for more information about the new SAYT program, go to hrra.org/information-newtown-sayt.

In other Transfer Station news, in May, transfer station employees began handing out informative fliers to residents concerning the end of the curbside recycling program on December 31 of this year.

It warns residents that if they currently use a private hauler for curbside trash disposal, those haulers are required by law to not only also offer recycling services, but offer combined waste and recycling services for a single fee.

"The town does not mandate which hauler you use or how much they charge," states the flier.

It recommends several best practices:

Get at least three quotes when comparing private hauler services to ensure you're getting a competitive rate.

Ask if they offer unit-based pricing (you pay only for what you generate).

Ask potential haulers if they will provide you with containers for both trash and recycling, and options for frequency of pickup.

The flier also notes that all Newtown residents can recycle for free at the transfer station with a biannual permit.

For those looking to choose a hauler, it offers six options: All American Waste, 800-826-7952, www.allamericanwaste.com; LoStocco Refuse Service, 203-743-9940, www.lostoccorefuse.com; Newtown Garbage Removal, 203-426-4135; Oak Ridge/IWS, 203-743-0405, www.oakridgewaste.com; Pendergast Roll-Off & Recycling Services, 203-426-6263; and Win Waste Innovations (WIN), 866-946-9278, www.win-waste.com.

It recommends visiting www.HRRA.org for the most up-to-date list and for other hauling services such as junk removal, dumpster rentals, etc.

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Reporter Sam Cross can be reached at sam@thebee.com. Additional reporting in this story was done by Editor Jim Taylor, jim@thebee.com.