Proposal to raise some county landfill fees subject of public hearing

EPHRATA — A public hearing is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on a proposal to raise fees charged to dump garbage at the Grant County landfill. The hearing will be online, because people aren’t allowed in the hearing room due to restrictions associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.

County residents can access the hearing by going to the “Public Works” tab on Grant County’s webpage and clicking the link for the “solid waste hearing resolution.” The link to join the video is in the resolution, along with a phone number and login information for people participating by phone.

The proposed schedule includes fees both for the landfill near Ephrata and for disposal sites around the county, known as drop boxes.

If the proposal is approved by Grant County commissioners, the new fees will go into effect March 1, 2021.

Public Works Director Sam Castro said the current fees generate enough money to pay expenses. But there are projects coming up that will require capital investment, and right now the solid waste department doesn’t have the money, he said.

The projects include the fourth phase of construction at the current landfill, and purchasing land for a new landfill when the current one is full. He estimated a new landfill could be needed in five to seven years, and that construction would take a few years. As a result, the county needs to start saving money now, Castro said.

“It’s the responsible thing to do,” he said.

The basic garbage fee, called a tipping fee, would be increased to $49.33 per ton. The current tipping fee is $28.80 per ton, and Castro said that’s the lowest in the state.

The minimum fee would be raised to $4.93. Currently it’s $3.

The minimum fee for “unsecured loads,” such as people hauling garbage in a car or truck, would remain unchanged. The fee is $5 for a passenger vehicle. For a pickup it’s $15 for more than three cubic yards.

The fee to get rid of appliances is the same as the basic fee and would increase to $49.33 per ton from $28.80 per ton. The fee to dispose of individual refrigerators or refrigeration units would be the same, $7.25 per refrigerator.

The fees to dump tires also would increase to $49.33 from $28.80. That fee applies to loads of 20 tires or less. The disposal fee for individual tires would remain the same, $3 per tire.

Most drop box fees would remain the same. The tipping fee for loose garbage would stay at $26 per yard, and so would the fee for compacted garbage, which is $34 per yard. People disposing of less than one-half a cubic yard would pay a $10 flat fee per load.

The drop box fee for individual tires is higher than the landfill fee. It’s $4.50 per tire for tires less than 35 inches in diameter, and $8 per tire for truck tires.

Most customers don’t bring in tons of garbage at a time, Castro said. He estimated the average customer dumps 200 to 300 pounds at a time.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached at [email protected].