“A private waste hauling company, Hill Town Recycling & Waste is thoughtfully modeled to provide a service that emphasizes a personalized touch for our valued customers. We proudly service the communities of Southern Berkshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, ensuring that each client receives the attention and care they deserve.”
— Hill Town Recycling & Waste website
A small garbage company nestled in Canaan, Conn., between Berkshire and Litchfield Counties, Hill Town Recycling & Waste offers residential garbage and junk removal services (including weekly garbage collection, a 15-yard trailer rental, and junk removal) to a growing number of customers in the region. What may surprise you is the age of the newest owner, Tristan Ralph—who, at 21, is on a solid path to buying the business and building assets.
While only 24.5 percent of Massachusetts business owners are under 40—the 5th fewest among states in the U.S., according to a December 2024 update by Eastern Progress Media Network—“both the share of business owners under 40 and the percentage of young workers who own businesses have risen sharply” since 2015. In fact, the share of Massachusetts workers under 40 who are business owners is 4.9 percent and rising, a resurgence aligned with “economic growth, increased self-employment opportunities, and the rise of digital platforms that have lowered barriers to entrepreneurship, particularly for young people.”
A side hustle and steady saving
Although Tristan Ralph grew up in Cornwall, Conn., from elementary through high school, he spent much of his childhood visiting his grandparents in nearby Canaan. After graduating from Housatonic Regional Valley High School in June of 2021, he settled in his grandparents’ place (they now reside in Salisbury). “I grew up in this house, and now it’s both my workplace and living place,” he says.
“As a young kid, I spent a lot of time with my grandfather, racing motocross, doing maintenance work, tinkering—always hands-on work,” Ralph continues, adding, “He encouraged me to learn through trial and error and develop in-depth expertise.” Ralph had many side hustles after graduation, one of which was filming videos for Alex Jacopino of Four One Tree & Landscaping LLC. “That was how I first met Bob Fedell [founder of Hill Town Recycling & Waste],” Ralph notes. Although he admits he didn’t see himself running a recycling and waste company as a career, things dovetailed nicely in the years following graduation.
“I had a pick-up truck and got little jobs running my own start-up business [Fly By Junk Removal] in the fall of 2021, doing mostly one-offs clearing out attics and garages. Moving furniture out of a house for Avant Stay (a Berkshire luxury vacation rental company used by many real estate agents) proved a great opportunity. That connection helped me grow to eight more properties,” Ralph acknowledges. “My customers varied from season to season, and my radius extended from Lee to Salisbury.”
Hill Town Recycling & Waste was founded by Robert Fedell of Sandisfield, Mass., in 2016. Post-COVID, it was taken over by his son-in-law, Michael Meilki, who had his own construction, landscaping, and plowing business (Meilki’s Landscaping). “I was doing junk removal when I first inquired about buying Hill Town,” Ralph says. Not long after, Meilki was looking to sell the company to someone who could be more involved so he could focus full-time on his other company.
Growing a business
In November 2023, Ralph took out a loan and bought the business (which involved “a private contract and handshake between Michael and me”) and got his first dump truck. “That was a big jump,” he admits. He’s currently working to pay off both the business and the truck while managing the day-to-day operations, from hauling to dumping to bookkeeping. He brings his loads to Barbato Disposal & Excavating in Hillsdale, where the owners (in Ralph’s words) “have been extremely helpful in offering guidance and support.”
Taught by his grandfather to follow the mantra “A penny saved is a penny earned,” Ralph continues to put everything he earns back into the business, which has been growing steadily thanks to his solid reputation and strong work ethic. “Most of my customers came about through social media and word of mouth,” Ralph shares. No doubt, his five-star Google reviews also help, including these below:
“Hill Town is extremely reliable and professional. Always willing to accommodate extra request. Highly recommend!” — Ellen Dinkes
“Great service, great price and great communication too. Thanks 🙌” — Adam Holland
“Once again, I cannot say enough about how wonderful the service is. Very professional and reasonably priced. Highly recommended.” — Tish Merwin
His next big goal? While wanting to keep the business sustainable in terms of finances, workload, and business habits, Ralph’s primary objectives are to knock off debt, continue to grow the company, and keep his truck running. “I’d like to increase 45 percent more so I can add another truck and an extra hand,” he says. He’s eyeing a new custom dump body, which would help with recyclables. “Having two trucks would also ensure a backup truck in the event of a breakdown in the middle of a route,” he explains. That’s especially important during the summer when business increases by 15 to 20 percent due to second homeowners and seasonal visitors.
When asked if he has any advice for other ambitious young entrepreneurs, he cites a quote from “Rocky” (the movie) that has inspired him over the years: “It’s not about how hard you hit but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”
What you buy and how you recycle matters a lot
Like any observant business owner, Ralph pays attention to his customers and to what’s going on inside the bins he empties into his truck—and offers these helpful tips for customers intent on reducing their carbon footprint:
Upcycling and repurposing are important. “Lots of items get thrown out when they could be reused by someone else,” he notes. This is now the law—throwing away clothing and textiles in Massachusetts is illegal.
Regarding single-use plastic, he reminds customers, “Even when plastic gets recycled, some of it gets lost in the process,” adding the practical (and perhaps rhetorical) question, “How many times can you reuse single-use plastic?” Black plastic is especially problematic (it can’t be recycled). One easy alternative? “Buying products in glass or metal containers, which is much better for you and the environment,” he says. “Ronnybrook Farm milk is sold in glass containers, and you can taste the difference.”
Paper and cardboard, when co-mingled with plastic and metal, often get wet. As Ralph points out, “Once you put things together in a tight bag, you instantly soil the recyclables.” Throwing recyclables loose into the dumpster can help ensure that more items make it to the recycling plant and keep plastic bags from piling up in landfills. Buying compostable garbage bags (available in most grocery stores) is worth the extra cost to help the environment.
Curbing food waste—a high priority for Massachusetts
“While most people are aware of how harmful plastics can be, one of the biggest offenders in terms of greenhouse gases is actually food waste,” Ralph stresses. “Better planning (buying only what you need and using what you buy), as well as composting so it can be put to good use in the garden, are key.”
This is something Massachusetts is striving to change as scientists and government officials work to increase public awareness of how food waste contributes to climate change. “Across the globe, producing and disposing of uneaten food accounts for about half of the greenhouse gas emissions from the entire food system,” Boston’s NPR station WBUR attests. Massachusetts was among the first states (over a decade ago) to pass regulations requiring any business producing more than a ton of food waste per week to keep it out of landfills or incinerators—and, according to the latest research, is the only state where the new rules appear to be working (Massachusetts has gradually achieved a 13.2 percent reduction).
Despite the high marks from researchers, a 2024 report from MASSPIRG (state-based, citizen-funded Public Interest Research Groups) and other environmental advocacy groups notes that the state will need to double its rate of organic waste diversion to meet its 2030 goal of diverting 780,000 tons of food waste per year. According to MASSPIRG executive director Janet Domenitz, “We’re still burying and burning over a million tons of food waste a year here, creating methane—the worst kind of contributor to climate change.”
John Fischer, deputy division director for solid waste at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), notes that to reach the state’s 2030 goal, regulators will need to start focusing on food waste not only from businesses but also from households.
One-third (or approximately 156) of Berkshire County towns are “pay as you throw,” which requires households (not property taxes) to bear the responsibility and cost of handling garbage and recycling. Some towns offer composting to reduce the estimated 25 percent of municipal solid waste, but education and source separation are key. According to DEP data, many households are slowly reducing how much they throw away (33 percent fewer pounds of trash per household annually when compared with communities without pay-as-you-throw incentives); however, we can—and need to—do more.
“The transfer stations for Falls Village and Sharon/Millerton handle organic waste completely separately, providing a designated bin and place to be dumped. Residents use the decomposition bags for organics,” Ralph explains. Although he admits it’s challenging to manage this type of program at scale with many customers, it is an option for residents if they wish, with service provided by another company that processes this waste into other organic material for reuse.
So, although trimming your waist or budget is the focus of many New Year’s resolutions, why not prioritize reducing your food waste and single-use plastics for 2025? Eat what you buy, and eliminate plastic anywhere you can (if we refuse to buy it, producers will be forced to offer alternatives). We’ll all share in the rewards this year and for generations to come.
As Ralph puts it, “We need to all keep looking at the bigger picture, making sure we’re progressing toward a better tomorrow.”
For more recycling tips, go to RecycleSmartMA.
