The Chittenden Solid Waste District (District) is a union municipal district established in 1987 in accordance with Vermont Statute and the District governing agreement. The District's mission is to provide efficient, economical, and environmentally sound management of solid waste generated by residents and businesses within 18 member municipalities of Chittenden County. These communities represent approximately one-quarter of Vermont's population and occupy 532 square miles.
Recycling became mandatory in the District in 1993 for all residents, businesses, and institutions and the District developed infrastructure and programs to support recycling. With over 870 percent of households using private haulers for waste collection, the District developed an ordinance and accompanying regulations to govern waste collection and license haulers. This included the requirement that haulers provide or contract for the collection of mandatory recyclables from all of their residential customers. In 2005, the Ordinance was amended to prohibit haulers from providing, and customers (residential, institutional, and commercial) from subscribing to, trash collection service only.
To make it easier for haulers, and to make recycling more convenient, the District retrofitted the District owned MRF from dual to single stream processing in 2003. All District drop-offs were converted to single stream collection as well.
In 2006 an analysis of residential recycling in the District revealed monthly curbside recycling participation rates averaging 89% of households served. Recycling quantities (e.g. fibers and containers processed at the MRF) in the District were estimated at an average of 490 pounds per household in the District.
