Transfer Station

HUMAN WASTE AND ANIMAL WASTE cannot be disposed of at the transfer station! (cat litter is allowed)

• A Vehicle Permit is required to use facility to dispose of garbage and recyclables.The permit should be affixed to the motor vehicle in clear view. There will be NO sharing of household stickers.
• Transfer Station is for Chester residents only with a valid permit.
• If you rent an apartment within your home, this is a SEPARATE household and both you and your tenant must have a sticker.
• If you own more than one home, each home must have a sticker of its own.
• Businesses are prohibited from using the Transfer Station. The Transfer Station is for household trash ONLY.
• Recycling is mandatory. Please ask dump attendant for information. The station accepts a large variety of items.
• The attendant has the authorization to deny access for failure to have a household sticker attached to the vehicle in clear view.
• At any time, the person issuing permits and/or bag stickers may ask for a photo identification or proof of residency.
• Any vehicle NOT displaying a permit sticker WILL be denied access to the Transfer Station. Please understand fraudulent use of the transfer station causes increased cost of waste management for the Town. Our goal is to keep cost down while maintaining proper disposal of trash.
• Maximum Bag size is 33 gallons.
• Two (2) 13 gallon bags equal one (1) bag sticker. Rip sticker in half and put each half on each bag. This is a courtesy to those who cannot lift a larger than 13 gallon bag.
• Clear Trash bags are required as of July 1, 2023.

• View Trash Hauler Rules & Regulations

QUESTIONS? Please contact the Board of Health by phone at 413-354-7781 or email at [email protected].

Effective 02/16/2022
Permits to use the Chester Transfer Station for Town of Chester residents is $65.00 annually. The senior (65 and over) rate is $50.00 annually with valid ID. The sticker must be attached to your vehicle. If you have more than one vehicle in your household additional stickers can be purchased for $5 each. Stickers can be purchased in-person at the Transfer Station.

• Download 2026-2027 permit form here

Mail your check payable to the Town of Chester, 15 Middlefield Road, Box #4, Chester, MA 01011 (be sure to fill in your mailing address so we can mail your sticker to you) OR drop it in the black box outside of Town Hall, marked ATTN: BOH.

PLEASE NOTE: There is no pro-rating of permits.
EFFECTIVE MAY 19th, 2021: Bag Stickers: $3.00 each; Max Bag Size 33 gallons. Payable at the Transfer Station.

Download the Transfer Station Fee List (PDF)

Open to Transfer Station Permit Holders. The purpose of the swap shed is to promote reuse of durable goods. For more information, download the flyer.

New England Disposal Technologies, Inc. (NEDT) has 2 household hazardous product collection centers located in Sutton and Westfield, MA. Both centers are permitted to accept household hazardous products from businesses and households from any municipality in Massachusetts and certain adjoining states. Please see their website for recycling items that our transfer station does not currently accept.

Items NOT Accepted at Chester Transfer Station:
• Asphalt pavement, brick and concrete
• Batteries
• Clean gypsum wallboard
• Commercial food material (effective 11/1/2022)
• Fats, oils & greases
• Ferrous and non-ferrous metals
• Hazardous waste
• Light bulbs
• Mattresses (effective 11/1/2022)
• Oil-based paint
• Propane tanks
• Smoke detectors
• Textiles (effective 11/1/2022) – NO clothing, rugs, mattresses, futons, etc.
• Yard waste
• White goods (large appliances) – Recycling available at Chester Transfer Station for a fee
• Whole tires (banned from landfills only; shredded tires acceptable) – Recycling available at Chester Transfer Station for a fee; See attendant for size restrictions

What can I recycle at the Transfer Station?

Click here to find out what is considered recyclable.

MassDEP recently released its 2030 Solid Waste Master Plan, a road map identifying goals and changes for the decade ahead. Three changes are imminent. In November 2022, textiles and mattresses will be added to the list of items banned from disposal or transport for disposal. We are pleased to announce that the Chester Transfer Station will have a Hazardous Household Items Shed and a Book Recycling Bin in the Spring of 2022. PLEASE NOTE: Mattresses will no longer be accepted at the Chester Transfer Station as of November 1, 2022.

Veolia, 190 East Main Street, Westfield, MA: Takes Automotive waste including antifreeze, brake fluid, grease, oil filters, etc. Also paint, driveway sealer, joint compound, oil based paint, fluorescent bulbs, mercury vapor bulbs, pesticides, pool chemicals and more.

Valley Recycling, 234 Easthampton Road, Northampton, MA: Takes mattresses, boxsprings, furniture, car batteries, freon, oil and more.

CMRK: Donate your textiles to the Blue Bin at the transfer station or schedule a home pick up by calling 508-466-4590.

St. Pauly Textile: Drop-off bin free to all located at the Chester Fire Station on Route 20. Donate used clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, linens, pillowcases, blankets, curtains, and stuffed animals.

The Town of Chester is partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation to collect clothing, textiles, housewares and more! These collections divert clothing and housewares out of the landfill. When you donate, you are helping our city and children across the state. You can schedule your free home pickup by visiting Big Brother Big Sister Foundation. The new bin is located at the Transfer Station and is free of charge to all permit holders. FREE home pickup is available TO ALL CHESTER RESIDENTS. Download the list of acceptable textile items.

Additional Resources: How & Where to Recycle Textiles
Do you have clothing, shoes, or other textiles that you no longer wear or use, but still have plenty of life left in them? Don’t throw them away!

Use the MassDEP-supported Beyond the Bin Recycling Directory to search by type of material and your location to find out where in Massachusetts to recycle, reuse, or re-purpose items that don’t belong in your household recycling bin.

Or, bring or mail unwanted clothing and shoes to stores or manufacturers that accept them for recycling.

A Universal Waste Shed funded by a grant from MassDEP is in place at the transfer station in the Recycling Center area. Items accepted are: Thermometers, Household Lightbulbs, Thermostats, Household Batteries (button style included) and gauges. There is no fee for these items. Please see the Transfer Station attendant for details. Please note: Long, tube style fluorescent lamps are not accepted.

What is Solid Waste?

Solid Waste is the materials that we throw into the compactor. Chester’s Transfer station is set up to take household waste into its compactor.

The following materials will not be accepted for placement into the compactor:
• Cathode ray tubes
• Lead acid batteries
• Leaves and yard waste
• Metal
• Treated and untreated wood and wood waste (banned from landfills only)
• Glass and metal containers
• Single polymer plastics
• Recyclable paper
(Prohibited as per Massachusetts state regulations 310 CMR 19.017)