Trash panel pushes county

Chatham's Solid Waste Advisory Committee says the county needs to act on its advice.

PITTSBORO -- Chatham County officials need to start talking trash.

That's what the county's Solid Waste Advisory Committee told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

Right now Chatham has no long-term solid waste disposal plan because the county has put off the committee's recommendations for decades, said John McSween, chairman of the committee.

Among its recommendations, McSween said, the committee says the county should consider building its own landfill.

Currently, Chatham County trucks trash from collection centers to a privately owned transfer station in Siler City. From there, the trash is hauled to a landfill in Sampson County, about 80 miles away.

The county has a year-to-year "handshake" agreement with the transfer station operator, McSween said, leaving the county without long-term security or control.

Prices rise

Meanwhile, prices per ton at the transfer station have steadily increased.

In 2002, the county paid about $41 per ton. This year, the county is paying $47.68 per ton. In addition, the county pays the transfer station a fuel surcharge that fluctuates with gas prices. Right now, the surcharge is nearly 10 percent of the $47.68-per-ton tipping fee, said Bob Holden, director of the county's waste management services.

With more than 10,000 new homes approved for construction, the amount of trash and the cost are expected to increase. Next year, the county expects to pay about $53 per ton.

"We need a landfill," said Commissioner Patrick Barnes, who represents the board on the committee. "I'd like to see some of this take place now and not 20 years from now."

Even if the county started building a landfill today, it would not be operational for five to 10 years, said McSween, who has been on the committee for two decades.

According to a 2003 study, a 50-acre landfill could handle 150 tons of trash a day, McSween said. Currently, the county produces about 100 tons a day.

Commissioner George Lucier estimated it would cost the county about $15 million to build a landfill.

If Chatham partnered with a few nearby counties, the costs could be shared, McSween said.

In addition, if residents approve a 0.4 percent land transfer tax in November, revenue from it could go toward the landfill, the commissioners said.

Location

Bruce Alexander, a committee member, raised his hand from the audience and told the board that the success of the landfill issue will not be determined by price, but location.

"Landfills don't seem to run into trouble because they're financially a bad idea," he said. "They run into trouble because they are difficult to site. Clearly the siting will be unpopular for someone."

At the end of the meeting, commissioners Chairman Carl Thompson asked county staff to advise the board on how to proceed with considering a possible landfill.