A waste management company, aided by former City Hall dealmaker Sal Brancati (pictured), has approached the city about the possibility of trucking the state’s trash into New Haven to be processed at the former Simkin’s plant.
Top city officials blasted the pitch from TransLoad America Inc., saying the plan would violate city zoning laws, bring undue pollution, and make New Haven a “dumping ground” for the state.
The New Jersey-based company specializes in “waste-by-rail,” a process by which trash is loaded onto trains, compressed at an indoor facility, then loaded out again in neatly wrapped parcels (pictured below, in photo from the company website). The idea is to reduce the volume of municipal trash.
Staff at several city departments as well as several aldermen said TransLoad has approached them about crunching trash at the empty Simkin’s paper-recycling plant on East Street. The plant closed down last year after 105 years in business.
Wooster Square Alderman Mike Smart said he learned about the project from a conversation with Brancati, a former city official turned consultant who is representing the company on this project. “I like the idea,” said Smart, praising the plan for reducing waste volume and “generating tax revenue for the city.”
“The Trash Processing Capital Of The State”
The catch is, the trash wouldn’t be New Haven waste. It would be brought in from communities across the state, according to city officials.
About 15 to 20 rail cars would arrive from other communities into New Haven each day, unloading their waste into the Simkin’s building, according to Deputy Director of Economic Development Chrissy Bonanno, who sat in on a meeting with the company. Bonanno said city staff have clearly rejected the idea.
“We are not interested in seeing New Haven become the trash processing capital of the state,” said Bonanno.
“Why should we accept everyone else’s garbage?” asked Karyn Gilvarg (pictured), head of the City Plan Department. Gilvarg blasted the plan for creating pollution via train exhaust without bringing in many new jobs or tax dollars.
Plus, Gilvarg noted, there is an “outright prohibition” of new solid waste management facilities inside city limits, according to city zoning laws. “We would never give them a building permit,” she said, “since they don’t have zoning approval.”
Neither Brancati nor Sherry Mulhearn, TransLoad’s regional vice-president for the northeast, responded to phone calls Tuesday and Wednesday requesting comment.
Bonanno said while the city has frowned on the Simkin’s pitch, the city did encourage TransLoad to apply to manage New Haven‘s trash when the city, through an RFP process, seeks a private management company to take over its municipal transfer station.
A similar plan for Hamden to become trash Capitol was announced several years ago, , at the former Detroit Steel property, I think,
Hamden had the sense to turn it down Hope New Haven has the sense to do it too.
Brancati's involvement should be an added reason for rejection, definitely not a plus,