The Johnson Transfer Station, aka the Dump, Is a Social Hub

Kyle Nuse grew up in Johnson and has fond childhood memories of visiting the town dump. In those days, garbage was thrown into a hole in the ground and covered with dirt. At age 45, Nuse still enjoys trips to the Johnson Transfer Station, not only to drop off trash and recycling but also to catch up with her neighbors. It’s a busy social hub where many locals connect.

The Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District operates five drop-off locations, including the Johnson Transfer Station. The site is no longer a landfill — the pile of waste has been transformed into a scenic, grassy hill surrounded by wildflowers. Trash is collected and trucked to the state’s one remaining landfill, in Coventry. But most people still affectionately call it “the dump.” Even dogs love a visit, which includes a treat from the attendant.

Fifth-generation Vermonter Keith Bradley, 52, has worked as a site attendant at the transfer station for eight years. He grew up in town and knows many of the people dropping off refuse, recycling and compost. Bradley and Nuse are family friends, and they always catch up at the attendant hut, where Nuse tells him what she will be discarding and pays by check.

“The dump is so much more than a place to bring your garbage and recycling.” Kyle Nuse

In the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger visited her hometown dump and saw a lot of familiar faces: Bradley was her classmate; Mary Jean Smith, who was dropping off recycling with her husband, was her sixth-grade teacher; and Nuse was featured in a “Stuck” video in 2018.

Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about filming the episode.

Why did you decide to feature the dump?

I got an impassioned email from Kyle Nuse a few months ago that said, “It’s hard to explain to non-Vermonters that the dump is so much more than a place to bring your garbage and recycling.” She explained that it’s a “neutral ground” social outlet and place for locals to shoot the breeze and catch up. It sounded like the perfect subject for Seven Days‘ Connections Issue.

You ran into a lot of people you know.

The glorious thing about growing up in a small town is that even 40 years later, you will be remembered. Heather Thomas, the Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District manager, was a year below me at Lamoille Union High School. I met the son of my beloved second-grade teacher in the attendant shed. I hadn’t seen Bradley since around the ninth grade. It was swell to reconnect with everyone to the sound of breaking bottles. As Nuse said, “It’s always just ‘good vibes’ territory here.”

Any trash takeaways?

Johnson resident Justin Philie was unloading a trailer full of trash, recycling and compost when we met. He’s considered the “dump guy” in his family. As such, he said, he thinks about trash “quite a bit” and is really concerned about it. I find that hauling your own refuse to the dump makes you much more conscious of your waste and your habits.

Trash collection has changed so much in our lifetimes.

Most Vermont kids would be shocked to see food scraps, cans, cardboard and e-waste included in the trash, as they were back in the day. Most of us now know the importance of sorting and disposing of waste in the proper manner. It’s nice to see some changes for the better.

The original print version of this article was headlined “Where Everybody Knows Your Name | The Johnson Transfer Station, aka the town dump, is a social hub”