County staff report recycling gains, used‑tire registration and transfer‑station timeline

Solid‑waste staff told an unnamed county committee that state changes to used‑tire rules and local operations could reduce illegal tire dumping and help the county manage recycling more efficiently. The committee heard that the state will require commercial tire haulers to register and carry manifest information so enforcement—such as highway patrol stops—can confirm haulers’ destinations. "So they're hoping that that will curtail curtail some of the tires that are getting thrown out across the state," Solid‑Waste staff said. Why this matters: county officials said a planned transfer station should cut truck travel time from up to two hours round‑trip to about 25 minutes, lowering fuel, tire and vehicle wear costs and freeing crews to make faster turnarounds. Solid‑waste staff said a grant covering new recycling equipment is complete and that the county must track additional recycled tonnage for five years under the grant terms. The county reported recycling revenue and landfill cost figures for recent periods: recycling revenue reported at $53,035.78 and a June landfill cost reported at about $50,007.13. Fiscal‑year landfill charges were reported at $466,006.58. Staff also said the county saved an estimated $11,002.31 by diverting certain materials from the landfill. Weekly vehicle counts at convenience centers vary by site and season; staff said El Bethel had the county's highest weekly traffic during the samples taken. Highway‑division staff (Mark) said the week‑to‑week counts fluctuated "anywhere between a 100 to a 175" vehicles, and that the county will place a traffic counter at El Bethel over the Christmas holidays to gather more data. On the transfer station, staff said the facility remains under construction and is awaiting city approvals before work can begin; if the city completes approvals promptly, staff said the transfer station could be operational in about two months. Until that transfer station is operating, the county can continue to haul directly to the contracted landfill under the existing contract with ISW. Staff also flagged statewide discussion of changes to landfill regulations; they said the proposals are still under discussion at the state level and may return to the legislature next year. The committee did not take separate formal action on the planning timeline for the transfer station during the meeting; staff said they will continue tracking state regulatory proposals and will use the new traffic and tonnage data to inform future budget and operational decisions.