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Sullivan County officials seek vendor bids, DEC OK pending for landfill changes as tipping operations face permit scrutiny
Summary
County staff told the Public Works Committee that landfill tonnage and revenue are down, the county has issued draft RFPs for hauling/disposal and waste-to-energy, and a DEC permit modification to raise the daily tonnage cap will require studies and public participation.
Sullivan County Public Works staff told the committee that county landfill operations are being retooled as tonnage and revenue lagged last year and multiple procurements and regulatory steps proceed.
The county is soliciting bids for loading, hauling and disposal of landfill waste; a mandatory site-visit program has run and the submission deadline for proposals was extended to Aug. 8. Staff told the committee they hope to begin contract negotiations in August and to have a contract in place by Jan. 1 when the current contract expires.
County staff also issued a draft request-for-proposals for a waste-to-energy project on June 20 and scheduled a pre-bid site conference for July 18 at 10 a.m. Written comments on that draft are due Aug. 22; staff said a final RFP could issue in September with proposals due in December and potential bidder discussions starting in January.
Separately, the county applied to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to modify its permit to raise the daily tonnage cap from the current 800 tons to 1,000 tons. DEC responded with a list of requirements that staff said would include truck studies, a public participation plan and special analysis because the facility is in an environmental justice (EJ) area. Staff said the county will likely need to hire an engineer to complete DEC’s requested work and that county leaders should consider whether to address permit and registration changes together across multiple sites.
Solid waste staff reported financial and volume trends: revenue was about 8% lower year-to-date compared with the prior year—about $380,000—and tonnage was down roughly 21% year-to-date. Staff said July had several very heavy days, approaching the current permit cutoff of 800 tons, and that the county briefly needed an excavator from road maintenance to keep traffic flowing at the tip floor.
Staff described operational changes: the tip floor hours were set to 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Monticello; the county began accepting checks at the scale house; and the county is enforcing a bond requirement for commercial haulers (a $100,000 bond required by Aug. 1). Scrap-metal bids were run; the top bid came in at $160.60 per ton (Weisman), up from prior receipts around $107 per ton.
Staff reported two recent incoming loads that registered radiation; both were handled under the county’s procedure, held to allow decay, and released only after DEC review. Staff said the material in these loads was consistent with medical isotopes, including iodine-131, and that DEC had reported an increase in such loads statewide.
The county’s compost plan is complete and staff said it estimates capital needs at about $1,600,000; staff are preparing grant applications to support the work. Staff also reported DEC approval in principle of the county’s solid waste management plan; a resolution to adopt the final plan will be prepared for a future committee meeting.
Ending: Staff asked committee members to review the RFP timelines and the DEC requirements and said they will return with more detailed cost estimates and regulatory timelines as bids and DEC responses come in.
