Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Waste Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Red Lodge board discusses recycling-center traffic flow and city trash ordinance under new Republic Services contract
Summary
Board members raised a traffic-flow suggestion for the municipal recycling center—moving a fence to allow a pull-through entrance—and reviewed a council-approved Republic Services contract and an ordinance proposal to require city trash cans by parcel, with fines for overflowing cans.
During the June 15 meeting, the Red Lodge Sustainability Board discussed two related waste-management items: a proposed redesign of the municipal recycling-center entrance to reduce congestion and recent city-level changes tied to the new Republic Services contract and a related ordinance on trash-container requirements.
At the recycling center update, the board relayed a site suggestion from an on-site employee (Kyle): shifting an existing fence roughly 10 feet east could create space for a U-shaped, pull-through traffic flow that would reduce vehicle queuing. Members cautioned that the fence had been installed by the nearby wildlife sanctuary and that moving it could require coordination, a budget estimate, and—depending on site conditions—an environmental assessment. The board asked staff to contact public works for cost and feasibility analysis with the fiscal year beginning in July.
On the Republic Services contract, members reported the city council had already approved the contract. The council is also drafting an ordinance that would trigger city-provided trash service by parcel (the parcel would determine service rather than number of water meters). The draft would allow an affidavit for owners who certify a unit is not used as a rental to maintain a single service. Members noted enforcement measures in the ordinance, including a $100 fine for overflowing/attractant trash incidents and a requirement that after repeated violations a second can be assigned.
Board members discussed enforcement and reporting: incidents must be reported (dispatch or a citizen complaint) for action to follow, and police or other enforcement agents may issue tickets. Members emphasized public education about preventing wildlife attractants (bears and other animals) and considered outreach methods (stickers, realtor informational materials, and public notices). They also discussed short-term rentals and the challenge of enforcement when visitors generate excess trash.
The board did not take a formal vote on either infrastructure redesign or policy but directed staff to pursue a public-works feasibility check on the recycling center plan and to remain engaged with council on ordinance implementation details.
