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Why does Vermont only have one landfill?

Most of Vermont's trash ends up in just one place — a landfill in Coventry, just 20 minutes south of the Canadian border. In a recent episode of Brave Little State, Mikaela sets out to answer this listener question: "New Hampshire has six landfills. Why does Vermont only have one?" We also look to the future, when the landfill reaches capacity and we need a new place to put our trash.

Then, John Leddy of the Northwest Solid Waste District and Thomas Kennedy of the Mount Ascutney Regional Commission discuss how their particular parts of the state manage their trash and recycling.

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Jon has spent his entire adult life working in broadcast journalism. He began his career in Baltimore at WYPR, and has since been a producer for WHYY, Vox, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, and The Talkhouse. Jon is a lifelong recording artist whose projects include Repelican, The Art Department, and Dungeonesse. He lives with his wife in Panton, Vermont.