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Local hauler warns rising landfill fees, uncertified scales are squeezing service in Daggett County
Summary
A Daggett County hauler told commissioners that a shift to weighed commercial rates and uncertified portable scales have tripled his landfill costs, threatening local waste collection and prompting discussion of transfer stations, expansion or intergovernmental negotiations.
Nick Goodman, a local waste‑hauler, told the Daggett County Commission on Oct. 29 that recent changes at the county landfill have sharply increased his operating costs and are threatening the viability of his service. "It's made it pretty difficult... because of the rate increases," Goodman said during the public‑comment period, describing a progression from an informal per‑yard approach to a weighed commercial rate he said rose to $80 a ton this fall.
Goodman said the county or town began weighing loads in July and that a portable scale the landfill used stopped working soon afterward. He said a State official later told him portable scales used for money exchanges must be certified and registered: "They said that, yes, they did have to be certified and registered with the state," Goodman said. He told commissioners he called the state seeking clarification after county staff told him certification was not required.
Commissioners and other attendees responded by emphasizing the county's interest in preserving local waste service and the need for a coordinated approach with the town. "It should be a responsibility between the city and the county," one commissioner said, urging staff to meet with city leaders to discuss rate structure and access. Commissioners also raised potential operational responses, including installing cameras at problem drop points, developing a transfer station or pursuing landfill expansion, and reviewing the legal requirements for scale certification.
Goodman estimated the cost to keep the landfill operating at current service levels could run "60 to 70,000 a year," and argued that transferring waste out of the valley would only raise costs for residents and businesses. Commissioners noted models used in nearby rural communities — such as a transfer station funded by a property tax mill levy and operated under contract — that remove per‑drop charges for residents and stabilize revenue through local government funding.
No formal action or vote on landfill policy was taken at the meeting. Commissioners directed staff to pursue conversations with the town, review scale certification requirements, and report back with options for preserving equitable, sustainable waste service for the valley.
The commission's next stated procedural step on the landfill issue is a follow‑up discussion; no timeline for that briefing was set on Oct. 29.
