Whit Stone landfill operator asks Pickens County to allow earlier weekday gate hours to capture more commercial waste

Caller McKenzie, general counsel for Matter Management, told the Pickens County work session that her company has operated the Whit Stone landfill since July 2023 and is requesting a change to county rules to allow earlier weekday gate hours.

McKenzie said the landfill currently opens under an ordinance that limits weekday hours to 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and asked the board to either amend that ordinance or move the specifics of weekday hours into the host-fee agreement. She said doing so would let commercial haulers arrive at earlier, more convenient times and that Matter Management conservatively expects to receive an additional 100 tons per day — roughly four extra truckloads — during the earlier window.

The request included financial context: McKenzie said the county receives $120 per ton under the existing host-fee agreement. She described operational controls the company uses — equipment, compliance procedures and staffing — and said the company has built the host‑agreement requirements into its operations.

Commissioners asked about impacts to nearby rural residents and whether early-morning truck queuing would produce noise or other disturbances. A commissioner noted several rural residences join the site and asked whether concessions or mitigation were planned for people who would be asleep during early hours. McKenzie replied that trucks routinely stage before the gate and the unloading area is roughly a mile from the gate; she said site staff had not received complaints from the nearest house but acknowledged the board must weigh neighbors’ concerns.

County staff told the board that changing weekday hours would require either a change to the county ordinance or moving the schedule into the host-fee agreement and that either route would bring the matter back to the board for a vote. One commissioner emphasized the arithmetic: early opening would not necessarily mean dozens of trucks simultaneously but rather several additional truck visits spread across the extended hours.

The company representatives asked the board to consider the change and said they would welcome placement of the item as a consideration on a future regular meeting agenda. Commissioners directed staff to prepare the legal review and options for how the county could address the hours question.

The work session did not include a vote on the request; the board agreed to have staff return with legal options and a draft agenda item for future consideration.