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County hears how residential haulers altered recycling flows and what it would cost if haulers stopped
Summary
The solid waste director told the committee that private residential haulers have shifted tonnage patterns and that if haulers ceased deliveries the county would face roughly $79,000 in added hauling costs and a $244,000 revenue gap from lost commercial deliveries.
Swain Steele walked the committee through how private residential haulers have changed recycling flows at Oconee County centers and what that implies for county operations. He said private haulers once paid fees that were removed by a council vote years ago and that several haulers have grown dramatically; Steele estimated the county would need about 533 extra pulls and roughly $79,000 in added hauling cost per year if haulers stopped delivering material to county centers.
Steele provided historical tonnage figures and said the county's net loss of recycling revenue, driven partly by hauler behavior and market changes, totals about $244,000 in the period referenced. He said haulers vary in business model and distance traveled and that some private transfer stations in neighboring jurisdictions charge lower per-ton fees, drawing material away from county facilities. Steele recommended maintaining tracking and outreach to better quantify impacts and noted the department's staffing levels can absorb modest additional pull requirements but that revenue gaps matter for the county budget.
Committee members asked for additional data on specific haulers and locations; Steele said the county's tracking software has more detailed records and offered to provide follow-up figures. The presentation framed the hauler question as a mix of competitive pressures and past policy choices that materially affect county operations and revenues.
