The Town of Tamworth celebrated the opening of its new recycling center at the Tamworth Transfer Station with a ribbon cutting on September 29, marking the culmination of approximately six years of planning, community support, and hard work.
The new facility features two balers, a mini loader, and four storage containers, all funded through a USDA grant. Other improvements to the transfer station include new compactors and an employee bathroom and water supply. The center is now accepting plastics, aluminum cans, mixed paper, cardboard, and glass, and operators have already produced their first bales of cardboard.
The project was made possible through a combination of voter-approved funding, support from the Tamworth Foundation, federal COVID relief funds, and USDA grant funding.
NH Recycles played a role in the project early on. In July 2022, our Solid Waste Advisory Team (SWAT), made up of experienced volunteer transfer station operators, visited Tamworth to review the proposed facility plans and offer recommendations. Working alongside town officials, transfer station staff, and members of the Transfer Station Improvement Committee, the team provided guidance on facility layout, traffic flow, equipment, safety, and recycling operations. The visit even resulted in a change to the planned location of the new recycling building!
The improvements will help Tamworth reduce transportation and disposal costs while generating revenue from the sale of recyclables. With two balers and dedicated storage space, the town can now compress and store recyclable materials until there is enough to ship efficiently to market.
As Select Board member Richard Doucette explained,
“Not only do you get a little bit of money back, but it’s not going in the trash—you’re not paying someone just to haul it away, they are paying you.”
The two new balers have a smart system for organizing the strapping - a trick shared by Member Services Director, Brian Patnoe.
At the ribbon cutting, Select Board Chair Karl Behr thanked residents and project supporters for their commitment to making the facility a reality. Willie Farnum, Chair of the Transfer Station Improvement Committee, highlighted the environmental and financial benefits of the improvements. Farnum and Transfer Station Supervisor BJ Pessia officially opened the center with a ribbon cutting. NH Recycles Executive Director Andrea Folsom and Member Services Director Brian Patnoe attended the celebration to recognize the town's achievement.
During the original SWAT visit in 2022, Farnum observed,
“A lot of minds make things work better in the long run.”
Four years later, Tamworth's new recycling center is a great example of that collaboration in action. Congratulations to everyone who helped make this project possible!
