Zoning To Oppose Casella Landfill Plan Divides Small North Country Town

Dalton residents are divided over plans to introduce new zoning regulations with the goal of blocking the landfill. (Annie Ropeik/NHPR)

The solid waste company Casella says it’s running out of space for Northern New England’s trash. So it’s taking the rare step of planning a brand-new landfill, in the small Coös County town of Dalton.

Lots of locals agree – they don’t want the landfill. But they’re divided on one potential tool to block it: zoning.

The signs of conflict are obvious as soon as you hit the outskirts of the town, which has fewer than 1,000 residents and sits adjacent to Littleton, Whitefield and Bethlehem.

House after house literally sports lawn signs. Some say “Save Dalton – no zoning.” One pro-zoning sign says “vote yes – no landfill.” It’s been spray-painted over, in dripping purple letters, with the word “lie.”

Read the rest of the story at NHPR’s website.