County staff backs two ‘mega’ collection sites; commissioners authorize staff to proceed with plan

Beaufort County public-works staff presented a multi-year plan on Tuesday to reconfigure the county’s household solid-waste collection network around two larger, paved “mega” collection sites — one on each side of the Pamlico River — and to reduce redundancy among smaller drop-off locations.

Staff said the current system of 10 sites carries high operating and trucking costs, and five of the county’s sites are leased annually. Christina, a public-works presenter, walked commissioners through tonnage and load data showing that three sites (River Road, Chacoinity and Cherry Run) account for the largest share of annual tonnage while several smaller sites show low utilization and overlapping service areas.

“We have the collection-site analysis and we believe the mega-site locations satisfy the criteria that we set as far as the overlap and providing the service area,” Christina said, summarizing staff work and maps the board had previously reviewed.

The staff recommendation includes keeping a set of six county-owned sites for household bag trash and recycling, using the two mega sites for bulky items and vegetative debris and seeking to acquire property or negotiate purchases for two leased sites (Pantigo and Aurora) so the county can own all strategically important sites. Staff also proposed revised waste-acceptance guidelines that would limit some retained sites to household-bag trash and recycling and reduce operating schedules at lower-volume locations to balance staffing and costs.

Commissioners directed staff to proceed with the recommended steps: finalize engineering and site plans, pursue property ownership in the Pantigo and Aurora vicinities, and continue community outreach. One commissioner asked staff to make addresses and maps public so residents can see proposed mega-site locations; staff said they would release site addresses and outreach materials.

Staff and commissioners discussed potential operational issues — weekend hours, proof of residency, transfer-station payment options — and staff noted the county’s transfer station on Flanders Fields Road remains an option for residents who prefer to pay to use a staffed facility.

The board voted to authorize staff to advance the plan and to notify the public, with follow-up implementation steps and additional board approvals to come as designs and acquisitions progress.