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Commission fast-tracks Wyandotte County five-year solid waste plan to full commission
Summary
The public works and safety standing committee approved a five-year solid waste management plan for Wyandotte County and voted to fast-track the resolution to the July 16 full commission meeting. Consultants said the countyrecycling rate is about 4% versus a national average of 32% and recommended countywide cart rollout and commercial hauler licensing.
The public works and safety standing committee voted 5-0 on July 13 to approve a five-year solid waste management plan and fast-track the resolution to the full Unified Government commission meeting on July 16.
Diana Miles, solid waste manager, introduced the plan and noted it is required by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and is updated every five years. Emma Billings of Burns & McDonnell presented the plandata and findings, saying the countyrecycling rate is around 4% compared with the national average of 32% and that refuse still accounts for roughly three-quarters of total generation.
"The plan requirements do require us to include the population, disposal, and diversion data, identifying the facilities and services," Billings said, summarizing the contents and the recommended focus on residential curbside, commercial and multifamily service changes, and drop-off programs.
The consultant recommended rolling the KCK cart pilot out countywide, licensing commercial haulers to track commercial and multifamily tonnages, considering construction and demolition diversion requirements, and enhancing the countys drop-off and household hazardous waste (HHW) services. Billings said the recycling and yard-waste drop-off center saw about 6,600 participants in 2024 and that yard waste accounted for the majority of accepted tonnage.
Commissioners asked how the committee charged with reviewing the plan was selected and whether illegal-dumping volumes are being tracked. Miles said the mayor appoints the committee and that the county had not tracked the cost of illegal dumping in a detailed manner previously, but budget-coding changes this year will allow the department to track illegal-dumping disposal expenses.
No public comments were received on the item. Commissioner Burns moved to approve the resolution and fast-track it for the July 16 commission meeting; the motion carried 5-0 on roll call.
The plan moves to the full commission for final consideration, and staff said they will provide additional data and an annual update to the commission as required by KDHE.
