Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment Solid Waste topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Solid-waste staff seek new refrigerant-recovery equipment and work to resolve used-oil disposal challenges
Summary
Solid-waste staff asked the commission to approve purchase of a refrigerant-recovery machine compatible with modern refrigerants and outlined ongoing difficulties finding vendors to dispose of contaminated used oil; commissioners approved ordering the equipment and asked staff to pursue oil-removal options.
Todd Boster, speaking for the solid-waste district, asked the commission to approve purchase of an H2L-compatible refrigerant-recovery machine to manage semiflammable refrigerants from RV and camper refrigerators and to obtain a specific fitting for older 12V propane units. Commissioners cleared the purchase and asked staff to order the unit locally.
Todd also described difficulties disposing of contaminated used oil. He said the in-ground tank at the site holds about "350, I believe" gallons of used oil but that several contractors declined further service because the oil contains sediment or contaminants. "They said they can't come do it again because it for logistics, it didn't work for them," Todd said, explaining past vendors had stopped servicing the site. Commissioners discussed interim steps—using above-ground 100-gallon totes, paying a hauler to pick up material, or arranging Granite Disposal collection—and asked staff to pursue options to ensure proper disposal.
Why it matters: failure to remove contaminated oil poses environmental and operational risks for the transfer station; installing a compatible refrigerant machine reduces risks from handling modern refrigerants and helps meet recordkeeping requirements.
Todd also described new administrative controls for dump-card permissions and refrigerant tracking: property owners may give written permission for another person to use their account, and staff have set up spreadsheets to track refrigerant records per regulatory requirements.
Next steps: commissioners authorized procurement of the refrigerant-recovery machine and asked staff to pursue removal options for the existing in-ground used-oil tank and consider temporary above-ground storage if necessary. Staff will coordinate purchases through local vendor John Stone and follow up on contractors for oil removal.
"If we could order another 350 gallon tank just to get by for now," Todd said, describing one interim option to manage on-site volumes; commissioners supported pursuing a paid hauler if necessary to avoid environmental risk.
