Brian Rader
Pollution Prevention Specialist, San Juan County
- Friday Harbor, Washington
- United States
Topics
2 Comments
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Re: Pay as You Go Garbage Collection Systems
2011-03-30 11:49:23 UTC
Hi Jill,
Thanks for the comment. I hope that they can come up w/ some kind of hybrid solution like you propose. Right now, the disposal fee has gotten so high that many people are taking their trash in their vehicle onto the ferry and disposing on the mainland, which leads to less revenue, which leads to more off-island dumping, etc. The system is in a tailspin, losing money every month, then they raise the disposal fee, then they lose even more money b/c people find "other" ways to get rid of their trash.
In November, our Council is planning to ask the voters for a parcel fee to provide a base level of operational funding for the solid waste utility. By then, the utility will be nearly two million dollars in the red. I am concerned that the people that live here have lost confidence in our government's ability to manage this issue. It is likely that the voters will vote down the initiative. I think privatization may be on the horizon...
Thanks!
Brian Rader
Pollution Prevention Specialist
San Juan County
United States -
Re: Pay as You Go Garbage Collection Systems
2011-03-29 11:22:37 UTC
San Juan County has a pay as you go system that has been so successful, it is threatening to bankrupt the County. Our solid waste utility is over one million dollars in debt. Why? Our solid waste disposal fees are $335/ton (our county is a group of islands). Until recently recycling has been free. With the big financial incentive, everyone is very aggressive about recycling. So the thing the county gets revenue for (solid waste disposal) kept going down, along with revenue/income. The thing the county did not get revenue for (recycling), but still has a disposal cost associated with it, kept going up, along with costs.
Now that the scales are tipped so far in the direction of decreasing revenue and increasing costs, the county is trying to get away from the pay-as-you-go model and fund the utility with a parcel fee. They have also started charging for recycling. Lots of mixed messages being sent out to residents. One thing is clear: $335/ton is really expensive trash!
Brian Rader
United States
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