NORWAY – An increase in commercial haulers’ disposal fees at the Norway-Paris solid waste facility has been placed on hold until at least Oct. 20 when the issue can be reviewed again, said Ray Garnett, chairman of the board overseeing the facility.

“Honest to God I wish we could solve it,” said Garnett of the growing controversy surrounding a Sept. 15 vote by the board to raise the disposal fee from $7 to $25 for any item disposed of at the Brown Street facility by a commercial hauler that was not generated in Norway or Paris.

Reclassified commerical

The decision raised questions from Chris Shorey of Main Street Furniture and Appliance, among others.

The local business has been reclassified as a commercial hauler and subject to the higher disposal increases since he began to deal mainly in furniture and his disposal of old items increased.

Shorey contends that items such as couches that he may receive when he delivers a new one, for example, in Bethel should be considered Norway-generated, but Garnett disagrees.

Garnett said the board informed Shorey in June that he must stop disposing out-of-town items in the facility.

Has big impact

“I’m glad your business is doing good, but on certain holidays we actually get bombed by the stuff Main Street brings us. No way it’s all from Norway and Paris,” said Garnett of the estimated 60 to 70 mattresses alone that are dumped in the facility by local businesses around Christmas time.

The problem, he said, is that each mattress, couch or other item must be disassembled by workers at the solid waste facility. Some couches take more than two hours to take apart, he said.

If Shorey would disassemble the items himself, the facility would allow him to dispose of out-of-town items there, he said.

“It impacts us tremendously,” Garnett said.