Permitting of Municipal Transfer Stations 

In an effort to better serve Connecticut municipalities, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) developed, and issued on November 29, 2012, a general permit for the operation of municipal transfer stations. Most municipal transfer stations are eligible for the Municipal Transfer Station General Permit.

This General Permit (GP) authorizes municipalities only to construct and operate a municipal transfer station and recycling center and allows:

1. a maximum processing capacity of up to 1,000 tons per day of solid waste; and
2. transfer with limited opportunities to process: municipal solid waste; construction and demolition waste; furniture, mattresses, rugs and carpets; metal including appliances containing chlorofluorocarbons (freon); propane tanks; used oil and waste anti-freeze; used oil filters; paper and cardboard; clean wood (brush, stumps, logs, pallets and woodchips); treated wood (painted, creosote etc.); tires; glass, metal and plastic containers; leaves and grass clippings; food scraps; lead-acid and mixed batteries; used electronics; mercury-containing lamps; mercury-containing thermometers and thermostats; capacitors and fluorescent light ballasts; paints and stains; household items for reuse; textiles and shoes; yellow grease and other recyclables if approved by DEEP.

Programmatic Benefits of the GP

The GP provides programmatic benefits by:

• clarifying the requirements for operations and management to transfer station managers and their staff, resulting in more compliant facilities, with fewer discharges to the environment;
• replacing the highly detailed application required for an individual solid waste permit;
• providing standardized operating conditions for municipal transfer stations, which will result in more efficient enforcement;
• streamlining the permit process and standardizes operations of similar facilities; and
• reducing the cost to the towns when the cost of permit preparation for this general permit is compared to the cost of an individual permit.

Municipal Benefits to the Eligible Towns

• Eligible municipalities benefit by the simplified application requirements and by the expedited application process.
• Facility operators benefit by the clarified operating requirements.
• Eligible municipalities are authorized to manage any of the waste streams covered by the general permit without additional administrative review by DEEP.
• Some permitted transfer station sites have two permits: an individual solid waste permit and a recycling general permit. This general permit allows management of both solid waste and recyclables under a single general permit.

For more information, please contact DEEP Waste Engineering and Enforcement Division, 860-424-3366. The general permit and related documents can be downloaded from the DEEP Permits and Licenses web page.

Solid Waste

Content last updated February 10, 2020