Chittenden County voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a $22 million bond to build a larger, more modern recycling facility in Williston.
According to uncertified results submitted by town clerks to the Chittenden Solid Waste District, 82% of voters supported the measure. A total of 30,202 ballots were cast, according to Alise Certa, a spokesperson for the solid waste district. Town clerks will certify the results by the end of Thursday, Certa said.
“CSWD is grateful for the overwhelming support from Chittenden County voters. Vermonters are committed to recycling and this is further proof of that commitment,” she said via email Wednesday.
The Chittenden Solid Waste District is a municipality created by member cities and towns to manage the county’s solid waste. The bond request appeared on a separate ballot from the general election one, and clerks reported the results directly to the district rather than the Secretary of State’s Office.
“As it’s a municipal question which we don’t have jurisdiction over, it’s not reported to us,” explained Eric Covey, chief of staff at the Secretary of State’s Office.
State law also prevented the district from mailing its ballot to voters, creating some confusion during early voting. Despite that obstacle, the measure passed handily on Tuesday.
The new materials recovery facility is projected to cost $26 million and open in July 2025. CSWD expects to supplement the $22 million bond with funds from reserves and grants. The bond will be repaid through the facility’s revenues and will not affect taxpayers, officials said.
They plan to begin permitting and design work in 2023.
District officials said they are pleased to get the green light on the project, which will include modern technology, improved working conditions, increased capacity and the flexibility to adapt to packaging changes over the next 30 years.
The facility will be more efficient, provide environmental benefits, reduce Vermont’s carbon footprint and “will be a modern facility to match Vermonters’ love of recycling,” Sarah Reeves, the district’s executive director, said in a press release Tuesday night.
“It is being designed with the ability to adapt to future changes in recyclable materials, some of which are still on the drawing board or even ones that we can’t imagine yet,” she said.
Paul Ruess, chair of the district’s board of commissioners, thanked voters in the release for their “resounding support.”
“You have made a real, tangible difference in our state and for our planet by voting in favor of this critical infrastructure for Vermont’s recycling,” he said.