By Joe Kelly

The much-debated plan to develop a regional trash authority serving Norfolk and other Northwest Corner towns has taken its first steps toward becoming operational.

The Northwest Resource Recovery Authority (NRRA) has retained Interstate Waste Services to operate the Torrington Transfer Station, where trash from Norfolk and other towns is consolidated before going on to landfills in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Interstate also works with the Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority (HRRA), which serves towns from Kent to Danbury. Earlier this year, the HRRA passed a memorandum of understanding allowing NRRA towns to join in its contracts (and get the same payment terms) for one year.

“Now we know what we are dealing with,” said Norfolk First Selectman Henry Tirrell, who has been attending all the NRRA meetings. “We can start to game this out and see if it is sustainable.”

Norfolk and other towns once had their trash hauled to a large state-operated waste processing facility in Hartford where it was burned and converted into electricity. Ever since that facility closed in 2022 the search has been on for a replacement.

This past spring the state gave the NRRA a boost by giving it the Torrington Transfer Station free of charge, turning down an offer of $3.25 million from USA Waste and Recycling, a competitor to Interstate. The state has also provided a $500,000 grant for startup costs. Eight towns have formally joined the NRRA: Colebrook, Cornwall, Falls Village, Goshen, Norfolk, Salisbury, Sharon and Torrington. But Goshen and Torrington have opted to have their trash handled by USA Waste, at least for the time being, raising worries that the NRRA may not be able to process enough trash to be financially viable