Mattawa considering second cleanup event

MATTAWA — The spring cleanup in Mattawa was a big enough success that city officials are considering a second one in the summer or fall.

“We collected 10.8 tons, which is 21,000 pounds of solid waste,” said city Public Works Director Juan Ledezma during the Mattawa City Council meeting June 15.

That included 3.5 tons of metal, he said.

The city provided garbage containers for big items, from old couches to old wall heaters, on May 15 and attracted enough junk to fill two bins within a day. It was scheduled for Friday and Saturday but was successful enough that the garbage containers were full Friday afternoon.

Even with substantial participation, the cleanup did not quite break even.

“The event cost the city $868, and (generated) $737,” he said.

In light of that, Ledezma said city officials were considering an increase in the fee for trailers.

“The original fee was $20, and we had about 10 to 12 participants that showed up with a trailer,” he said. “That’s the one that fills the most (quickly). Essentially it’s like having three or four truckloads.”

“I think having a charge to cover the costs is reasonable,” said council member Brian Berghout. “If we can cover the expenses it still is cheaper for people to drop it off here.”

City officials have not determined what the new charge would be.

The second cleanup day would depend on the availability of garbage containers from the city’s garbage contractor, he said.

Council member Fabiola Hernandez suggested getting additional garbage containers since she has talked to people who were annoyed that they weren’t able to dump their garbage Saturday. Ledezma said it would depend on how many containers the city could get from its contractor.

Council member Sun Hwang asked about a household hazardous materials collection in the Mattawa area. Hwang said it’s relatively easy for him to dispose of the kinds of material collected during the cleanup in May, but in the case of household hazardous materials — things like paint, paint thinner and used motor oil — it’s much more difficult.

“We should look into it – you know, how can we help residents get rid of those items?” Hwang said.

Ledezma said he’s talked with Grant County Solid Waste officials about that, and it’s something that’s been discussed, although there are no plans for one currently.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.