Chittenden County voters on Tuesday approved a new recycling center in Williston.
The Chittenden Solid Waste District, which had sought approval to borrow $22 million to replace an aging facility, reported that more than 80% of voters supported the move.
This vote will allow the district to significantly improve its recycling efforts. Called the Materials Recovery Facility, it’s a nearly windowless metal structure on the Williston Industrial Park where workers and machines put all the glass, plastic, paper and metal into blue bins.
The facility handles 55% of the state’s recycling, but officials say the facility is too old to be updated with modern sorting equipment.
The school district is planning a larger $26 million facility on land about two miles from the existing facility. The company plans to pay off the bonds over 25 years with proceeds from the sale of recycled materials.
Unlike general election ballots, which were mailed to all valid voters, special election ballots were mailed only to those voters who requested them. It is also now available to those who voted in person at the polling place.
