This CVSWMD Guide to Developing Host Town Agreements (331KB PDF) was written to help town officials and residents understand what Host Town Agreements are and how to go about developing one. We hope you find this Guide helpful.

State law allows and encourages local enforcement through judicial bureau (24 V.S.A. 2201). Here’s what your town can do to help reduce illegal burning and the associated human and environmental health risks:

1. You can choose to enforce the state statute by designating a municipal designee or designees as the statutory enforcement officer. See the Vermont State Statute 24 V.S.A. 2201 for details: Click Here.

2. You can choose to write and adopt your own ordinance. These three sample ordinances from CVSWMD member towns may offer some guidance:

• Bradford, VT ordinance
• Washington, VT ordinance
• Marshfield, VT ordinance
• Vermont League of Cities and Towns sample ordinance

Ad #2 of a six-part ad series the CVSWMD has run in area newspapers to highlight the dangers of illegal burning.

The person(s) or position(s) responsible for enforcement of the state statute or the town ordinance is selected by the town. Some towns give enforcement authority to members of the town Selectboard, the Town Health Officer, the Town Attorney, and /or the Town Constable. The process outlined in the ordinance is followed in addressing the offender and remedying the situation.

Because the District’s goal is effective reduction of illegal burning incidences, we see the adoption of a local ordinance as the best way to reach that goal. The state requires the town or solid waste district to take responsibility for enforcing the law against illegal burning.

If towns choose to leave the enforcement responsibility to the District, the goal of reducing illegal burning may not be met. With 22 geographically diverses member towns, the District simply can’t enforce against illegal burning as quickly and efficiently as an official within the town where it occurs. In addition, leaving this to District staff may require an increase in the per capita that member towns pay the District to help fund this additional service.

The District Board of Supervisors and staff are available to help you develop an effective response to illegal burning in your community.

The programs detailed in this Web site explain the programs and assistance we offer member town residents and businesses. The following links offer some of the member town-specific details of the commitment a member town makes when joining the District.

• CVSWMD Board of Supervisors Representation
  • Board of Supervisors (15 KB PDF)
  • Board Committees (27 KB PDF)
• CVSWMD Services for Member Communities (160 KB PDF)
• FY 2010 Per Capita Assessment (40 KB PDF)
• Zero Waste Facts (490 KB PDF) — The CVSWMD’s Zero Waste Plan and What It Means for Member Communities

Ad #1 of a six-part ad series the CVSWMD has run in area newspapers to highlight the dangers of illegal burning.

The people who burn garbage and the families who live next door and downwind receive the most direct contact to the toxins emitted into the air they breathe. And the impact doesn’t stop there. Burning garbage pollutes the air and water and affects the people and wildlife throughout the region (see the Illegal Burning section under Resident Services for more information).

Illegal burning is a serious human and environmental health threat. The State of Vermont takes this very seriously and is requiring solid waste districts and towns to take action to enforce against it.

The CVSWMD Board of Supervisors believes that local enforcement is the most effective way to combat illegal burning. Thanks to a grant from the VT Agency of Natural Resources, CVSWMD staff and board members contacted all CVSWMD member towns about illegal burning ordinance options and to encourage the adoption of local ordinances, and member towns were asked to complete surveys detailing their town’s decision.

• Survey Results
• Ordinances — Information and Samples

During this process, several towns requested that the CVSWMD provide the template for a letter that they could send to residents who have been illegally burning trash. For towns with an approved illegal burning ordinance, or a designated enforcement officer to enforce the VT State Statute (24 VSA 2201), the following letter template can be used to notify residents of their infractions against the town ordinance and/or the state law, and the fines associated with further infractions. We hope this template letter can be used to help make enforcing against illegal burning easier for your town.

• Enforcement Letter Template

FY 2009 Annual Report Sections

• Cover/Table of Contents (128 KB)
• Introduction/Who We Are (184 KB)
• From the Director (184 KB)
• Recycling At CVSWMD Depots (192 KB)
• Beneficial Reuse of Food Scraps (352 KB)
• Hazardous Materials Management & Product Stewardship (188 KB)
• Getting the Word Out (192 KB)
• Board Committees & Their Work (176 KB)
  

You can access archived issues of the CVSWMD News e-newsletter by following this link:

The Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District developed a new Solid Waste Implementation Plan (SWIP) to comply with the state of Vermont’s new plan. The SWIP expresses the District’s vision for this region and will guide all solid waste programming and planning for the foreseeable future.

We solicited public input to ensure that this document represents the CVSWMD member towns and residents. To help gather this information, we held six public hearings on the draft Plan, and took public comment during our regular meetings of the District board of supervisors. In addition, we encouraged District towns and residents to offer input on draft sections of the Plan as they were developed.

The completed Plan was sent to the state May 1, 2003 and was approved by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources in April 2006.
For a printed copy, please contact the District –  phone: 802-229-9383 ext.100
Or, you can view and download the chapters here.

Ch. 1: Introduction (300KB)
Ch. 2: History (492KB)
Ch. 3: The Here and Now (1.8MB)
Ch. 4: Waste Reduction and Reuse (1.1MB)
Ch. 5: Recycling (936KB)
Ch. 6: Organics and Composting (1.7MB)
Ch. 7: Hazardous and Special Wastes (2.4MB)
Ch. 8: Disposal (807KB)
Ch. 9: Illegal Burning and Dumping (1.4MB)
Ch. 10: Biosolids (2.1MB)
Ch. 11: Advertising, Public Information and Participation, and School Education (1.5MB)
Ch. 12: Ordinances and Enforcement (619KB)
Ch. 13: Finances (1.3MB)
Ch. 14: Facilities (2.7MB)
Ch. 15: Data (2.2MB)
Appendix (3.1MB)
Glossary (106KB)

Budgetary challenges required us to suspend the grants last year. But this service to our member communities will be reinstated for this year’s Green Up Day — Saturday, May 1. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of this statewide cleanup event!

The CVSWMD is offering up to $500 to each CVSWMD member community to help them cover the costs of recycling and safely disposing of the materials picked up from town roadsides during Green Up Day cleanups. This is more than twice the amount the District offered member towns for Green Up Day in recent years!

Member towns will receive a letter from the District with grant details.

Thank you for your continuing support of Green Up Day activities in your community.

For information about the statewide Green Up Day effort, see: www.greenupvermont.org

The District is made up of a Board of Supervisors that represent all member towns, and an office and field staff who implement organizational programming and events.

The full Board of Supervisors meets the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 pm, except January, July, and August. Please see the calendar on this Web site for meeting location.

Board members also join committees to work on specific aspects of running the organization. The committees meet separately during the month; the following is the general meeting schedule:

• Executive Committee–meets the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 6 pm at the District office.
• Financial Oversight Committee–meets the 4th Tuesday of each month at 6 pm at the District office.
• Program Oversight Committee–meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5 pm at the District office.
• Lawrence Walbridge Reuse Fund Committee–meets the 4th Monday of each month at 4:30 pm at the District office.

All District board and committee meetings are open to the public. Please call to confirm meeting date, time, and location as schedule changes may occur.

Minutes from Past CVSWMD Board of Supervisors Monthly Meetings

2010

• May – 32 kB PDF
• April - 40 kB PDF
• March – 40kB  PDF
• February – 36kB PDF
• January 13 Special Meeting – 32kB PDF

2009

• December - 44 kB PDF
• November – 40 kB PDF
• October 21 Special Meeting – 32 kB PDF
• October – 48 kB PDF
• September – 32kB PDF
• July and August – no meetings
• June – 30kB PDF
• May – 36kB PDF
• April – 33kB PDF
• April 15 Special Meeting – 22kB PDF
• March – meeting canceled
• February – 33kB PDF
• January – no meeting

2008

• December – 32kB PDF
• November – 31kB PDF
• October – meeting canceled
• September – 30kB PDF
• July -34kB PDF
• June - 32kB PDF
• May – 33kB PDF
• April- 33kB PDF
• March - 33kB PDF
• February – meeting canceled
• January – no meeting

CVSWMD provides leadership, education, and services for residents and businesses in reducing and managing their solid waste in order to protect public health and the environment to the greatest extent feasible.

The District takes the lead on developing and implementing new programming and incentives for solid waste reduction in our member communities. We strive to serve our geographically diverse communities equitably and cost-effectively. Please contact the District office with your ideas, comments, or concerns:
Phone: 802-229-9383
E-mail: comments@cvswmd.org