Board OKs Recycling Tonnage Increase 4-1

Board of Health · Meeting of October 15, 2026

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Board of Health approved a tonnage increase for Valley Recycling despite South Street residents' noise and vibration complaints. The board voted 4-1, with member Cynthia Suopis dissenting, to let the East Hampton Road facility add 150 to 200 tons to its current 324-ton daily limit. Hearing counsel, Attorney Sewell, told the board it needed "facts" rather than "feelings" to deny the permit under quasi-judicial rules.

Member Suzanne Smith's own truck counts found Valley Recycling accounted for 43 percent of truck traffic on South Street north of the site. Owner Rich Pitts said the business has run 14 years without a violation. The board separately voted to send DPW a letter urging faster completion of South Street repaving, which officials said should be done by spring.

In the full story:

• Public Comment: A City Council Liaison Arrives
• DHHS Operations and a Federal Grant
• Board of Health Authority 101: A Primer on BESS
• Battery Storage Hazards and the East Hampton, New York, Fire
• Siting Battery Storage: The State Preemption Problem
• Valley Recycling Minor Modification Hearing
• Letter to DPW on South Street
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,598 words

Source: the Board of Health meeting of October 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.