Officials say too soon to tell how Walker landfill rate hike will affect business

Commissioner Shannon Whitfield was recently asked about how the recent rate increase at the Walker County landfill has affected business.

Officials report it’s too early to tell, as the rate increase has only been active for a little more than a month.

Landfill Manager Paine Gily said the county lost a couple of haulers within the first month and also discussed how the county can save on recycling metals at the landfill.

At his Feb. 23 commissioner’s meeting, Whitfield said the cost to deposit household waste would increase from $38.50 per ton to $40 per ton and that C&D (construction & demolition) rates would rise from $25.50 per ton to $30 per ton. The commisisoner said the increases were due to debt — now estimated to be as much as $10 million — that lingers form the previous administration.

Gily said it is still too early to decide how the increase affects the current model. But he said a lot of policies and procedures have been enacted to aid with the work flow, so productivity at the landfill has increased.

“We are shopping around, getting prices from three separate vendors before we purchase things,” Gily said.

When asked about the possibility of recycling at the landfill to offset overflow, Gily said he had been in contact with several landfills, some out of state, and was getting ideas about establishing a recycling program here.

“It’s better if there is an off-site location, where if they decide to donate something, then they can and that has been discussed,” Gily said.

Gily said there is a metal recycling program in effect that stages metals for transfer to a recycler. Funds from those sales are directed back into the county coffers.