County Considers Accepting Out-Of-District Trash In Landfill
COLUMBUS, Ohio—The trash business is usually considered recession proof, but not lately.
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and the Franklin County landfill are feeling the effects of the bad economy, NBC 4‘s Marshall McPeek reported.
Each trash truck pays a tipping fee of $35.50 per ton. Those fees keep the landfill operating, but the trucks dumped 26,000 fewer tons last year, amounting to nearly $900,000.
“When people buy less, they throw away less. They throw away less. Well, less comes to the landfill,“ said John Remy, of SWACO.
The SWACO board of directors is now considering allowing trash from outside Franklin County.
They said it won’t shorten the landfill’s lifespan and won’t bring in anything toxic or dangerous.
“We’re trying to stabilize our financing,“ Remy said.
Without the extra funds, SWACO could be forced to cut back on the recycling programs and waste-reduction programs.
Plus, the board said it believes that allowing outside trash might have a positive environmental impact for communities fringing Franklin County.
“It could, potentially, save them money on landfill fees, definitely save them money in terms of gas hauling their trash elsewhere and so they reduce their carbon footprint,“ Remy said.
Out-of-district trash could soon cost up to $50 per ton, but no increase for Franklin County residents.
The idea isn’t set in stone yet, as the board must approve the proposal. The board will meet in April and could approve it as early as then. But, they could also wait until the following month.
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Reader Reactions
So additional trash “won’t shorten the landfill’s lifespan.“ Additional trash also won’t “bring in anything toxic or dangerous.“ It would be interesting to know exactly who made these statements. Probably one of the same people who gave us the Trash Burning power plant that dumped mercury pollution on the South Side for a generation. Finally the city bit the bullet and closed it LONG before the bonds that constructed it were paid off. SWACO landfill use should be limited to Franklin County. Franklin County taxpayers paid to establish it and county taxpayers will be paying to clean up the disasters for years after it closes.
Dear SWACO,
What a tangled web you weave. Two years ago, you were droning on, playing on the public’s guilt that we were not recycling enough of our trash. So you spend the succeeding six months dropping you ugly recycle bins like they were pigeons droppings all over the county to make it easier for the great unwashed to recycle. The SWACO mantra was; “we must save our landfill.”
Now SWACO is going (Chicken Little) right in front of our eyes. “We nee more trash, we need more trash”. Please make up your mind. Maybe SWACO should look into hiring a good psychiatrist to fix the multiple personalities that seem to be making decisions down on the south end of town. It seems to me we should flush the management team at SWACO and bring in some talent. When the SWACO management decides what the citizens of Franklin County should do; recycle our trash or not to recycle our trash, please let us know.
Warm regards
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