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County board approves memorandum to join Pope‑Douglas single‑sort MRF agreement; county to contribute $12,000 annually
Summary
A Pope‑Douglas solid‑waste representative told the Stevens County Board the region’s new single‑sort MRF is nearing commissioning and will accept Stevens County recyclables at a start rate of $58/ton; the board approved a motion to accept the MRF contract and a $12,000‑per‑year county contribution for five years.
A representative for Pope‑Douglas region solid‑waste operations updated the Stevens County Board on a new single‑sort materials recovery facility (MRF) and asked the county to formalize a funding and delivery agreement.
The presenter said the regional MRF is nearing commissioning and that the facility has agreed to accept single‑sort recyclables from Stevens County at a starting tipping rate set at $58 per ton once steady deliveries begin (the presenter said commissioning is expected in April and regular intake in late April or early May). The county contribution was described as $12,000 per year from the solid‑waste fee to support capital equipment for the single‑sort operation; the presenter said that contribution was included in the Stevens County budget for 2025 and that the contribution would continue for five years.
The presenter described efforts to manage contamination in single‑stream recyclables and said the MRF equipment is robust enough to process some bagged material and common contamination, but the facility will reclassify heavily contaminated loads and charge garbage tipping fees if contamination exceeds contract thresholds (presenter described an informal threshold in the 20–30% range that would trigger reclassification). County staff said the hauler agreements and sampling, cameras and loader‑operator checks will be used to manage contamination and coordinate with the new facility.
The presenter said the new facility purchased much of its equipment used to keep costs lower, and that commodity prices (cardboard, aluminum, plastics) remain variable and will affect the long‑term economics; Pope‑Douglas said it would assume commodity‑price risk while charging a cost‑covering tip fee to the member counties. Pope‑Douglas invited county board members and staff to tour the facility; construction and installation were in progress at the time of the presentation.
Commissioners then moved to accept the MRF contract/agreement supporting a regional processing arrangement and the funding arrangement described by the presenter. The board passed the motion. The motion record shows “motion carries”; no roll‑call vote or named vote tally was recorded in the meeting transcript.
The board did not adopt additional terms on commercial contamination enforcement at this meeting; county staff said they will work with haulers and Pope‑Douglas staff on the operational agreement and sampling procedures and will bring a delivery contract to the county within 30 days, the presenter said.
