Trash agency sets 5-year capital plan

Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency board members have adopted a $2.45 million, five-year capital plan.

The plan was approved during a meeting Wednesday, Aug. 22.

Agency officials said no additional equipment is needed due to the cessation of single-stream service at year’s end.

“Everything is operating fine right now,” Executive Director Tim Rose said. “We have plenty of ... permitted capacity, we haven’t reached that.”

Officials said the agency works with 16 towns to take recycling and could accept material from the city of Kingston if asked.

“Could we handle the entire Ulster County commingled (stream of recyclables) like we used to do (at) 350 tons a month?” said operations manager Charlie Whittaker. “We’d have to hire more people and ... you’d probably have to look at changing some electronics.”

Officials said if the market for recycling materials does improve they expect there will a decrease in the space needed for storage.

“When times are good it doesn’t come to us,” Whittaker said.

“When cardboard was up in good times (at) $220 a ton, ... we didn’t get it,” he said. “The only times people bring things to us is when there’s no value.”

Under the capital plan, agency expenses are expected to be:

• $1.1 million in 2019, with big ticket items to include $485,000 for transportation equipment, $274,394 for heavy equipment, and $200,000 in transfer station expenses.

• $389,642 in 2020, with $200,000 in transfer station expenses and $105,000 for heavy equipment.

• $535,000 in 2021, with $300,000 for heavy equipment and $235,000 for the main solid waste facility.

• $250,000 in 2022 and $175,000 in 2021, with the funding in both years spent on heavy equipment.