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| STORIES ABOUT SOLID WASTE OPERATIONS IN SAN JUAN COUNTY | ||
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NOTE: the discussion of the MRF contract has been rescheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12, 2002. MRF contract discussion set for Jan. 29By Sharon Kivisto posted 01/16/02
The Solid Waste Advisory Committee voted 4 to 3 Monday, Jan. 14 to recommend the county proceed with a MRF. On Tuesday Town Administrator King Fitch's vote was listed as an advisory vote which changed the vote to 3 to 3. BOCC Chair John Evans supports the switch noting it will save money. "It'll give us money to do the stuff we need to do. The San Juan transfer station is unsafe." Hazardous materials collection is another area that needs to be addressed he said. Commissioner Darcie Nielsen said, "Personally I believe the MRF is the way to go."But before a contract is approved, she wants to look at other options which might impact the bid such as composting cardboard locally. Huse said it is not cost-effective to compost cardboard. "It's a neat thing, but we can't capitalize it," he said. Referring to the controversy surrounding the debate over MRFs, Nielsen said there had been a great deal of misinformation. "No where does it say people are going to lose their jobs," she said. "The system will increase jobs." The loss of jobs was one item discussed during the SWAC's deliberations. According to the information presented by the Public Works Dept. jobs will be lost. The savings in labor and processing costs and the loss of jobs were listed on the pros and cons of switching to a MRF. Jobs will also be lost at San Juan Sanitation according to Tom Luft. Commissioner Rhea Miller opposes the change in the way the county handles recycling. "Economically I focused on a method that would eventually lead to a model award-winning system on both San Juan and Orcas and still not cost us more or need the tax," she said. "I will not support a proposal that sends jobs to Seattle and supports a big city corporation when we could build a fiscally and environmentally responsible program right here in San Juan County." SWAC recommends MRFBy Sharon Kivisto posted 01/15/02 The county solicited bids in November 2001 for hauling the county's recyclables to a mainland MRF. Waste Management Inc. was the low bidder. The bidding process was actually "a negotiated sealed proposal" according to SWAC member John Day. (NOTE: According to Deputy Prosecutor Karen Vedder, bids not proposals were solicited.) SWAC members Neil Hansen and George Post questioned the process used in making the decision. The county's Solid Waste Management Plan which was adopted in 1995 is due to be updated this year. Hansen felt it would be more appropriate to make decisions about changes to the way the county processes recycling as part of the revision process. Part of the debate at the Jan. 14, 2002 meeting centered around whether the change to a MRF was a policy or an operational issue. Shannon said it was an operational issue and therefore would not be part of the revisions to the Solid Waste Management Plan. Post questioned whether the alternative of placing balers on Orcas and San Juan Islands was ever a real possibility. Negotiations with the Town of Friday Harbor about the Sutton Road transfer station never mentioned the possibility of placing a baler on the site. Solid Waste Manager Jon Shannon said he would never recommend the county place capital improvements on leased land. He also cited the neighbors as another consideration. Residents of the Hillcrest neighborhood have been vocal about their opposition to any expansion of activity at the solid waste transfer station. Commissioner Darcie Nielsen who replaced Commissioner Rhea Miller as BOCC liaison to SWAC, said negotiations with the Town have always been about purchasing the site and therefore did not include discussions about balers. She also noted the neighbors' oppostion as a factor. Snow, Day, Town Administrator King Fitch and Bob Freeauf voted for the motion to proceed with the MRF. Post, Hansen, and Carolyn deRoos voted against the measure. Tom Luft of San Juan Sanitation abstained since SJS had submitted a bid. Big waste hauler makes little bidposted 12/17/01 Huse estimated switching to using WM's materials recycling facility (MRF) would save the county $96,000 per year in transportation. A total of $178,000 per year would be saved if the switch was made he said. The additional savings would be in processing costs according to Solid Waste Manager Jon Shannon. According to Huse the bid which was opened Nov. 27, 2001 takes the proposed 2002 ferry fare increases into account. According to the bid document, the $45 price is based on a ferry cost of $17.56 per ton. Ferry prices are expected to increase 17.5 percent in May, 2002. Currently county residents sort their own recyclables and drop them off at no charge at the transfer stations. The materials are then taken to Lopez Island and baled before shipping to the mainland. If there is a market for the recyclables, they are sold. The market has fallen in recent months. The rolloff costs, the cost of transporting the recyclables to Lopez for baling, would be eliminated if a MRF was used. The recyclables would not have to be sorted. The comingled materials would be taken by WM to their facility on the mainland. The county would pay WM to haul the recyclables. After the materials are sorted, the corporation sells them. SWAC wants to review other proposals for reducing costs of the county's recycling program before they make a recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners. Committee member George Post noted the change goes against one of the five goals of the county's adopted Solid Waste Plan -- Goal 4: minimize tranport of unprocessed materials to the mainland. Loss of local jobs was another of his concerns. Brent Snow, Roche Harbor Resort Manager, was involved in drafting the 1996 plan. He suggested balancing the goals. One of the goals involves increasing recycling, since recyclables would not have to be sorted (except for glass) by the user, Roche Harbor would be able to participate more effectively he said. An option proposed by Commissioner Rhea Miller would place balers on Orcas and San Juan Islands. This would reduce the rolloff costs . At a June SWAC meeting, Shannon said the county could save the rolloff costs if balers were purchased for the two largest islands. At the time the cost to purchase the two balers was estimated at $120,000 ($60,000 each). At the Dec. 17, 2001 meeting, Huse said the cost to add balers to both islands would be $400,000. SWAC will meet Monday, Jan. 14, 2002. The members will discuss other options and whether the decision should wait until after the scheduled update to the Solid Waste Management Plan is completed this year. |
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