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Lewis County solid‑waste director highlights single‑stream MRF operations, capacity and costs
Summary
Director Kip Turk summarized a June site visit to the Oneida‑Herkimer MRF, describing single‑stream sorting, AI optical sorters and balers, food‑to‑energy and composting operations; he said Lewis County sends about 3,000 tons a year to that facility and will negotiate a new recycling contract in 2027.
Kip Turk, Lewis County’s director of solid waste, told legislators the county team visited the Oneida‑Herkimer single‑stream Materials Recovery Facility on June 18 and observed tipping, pre‑sort and post‑sort flows, optical sorters, AI‑guided robotic arms and multiple balers that turn sorted material into marketable bales.
"We went to Oneida Herkimer solid waste to look at their MRF system on June 18. It was a really good day," Turk said. The presentation — including video and photos shown to the committee — described how trucks are weighed on arrival, materials are tipped, sorted through screens and optical sorters, and then baled and marketed. Turk said the Oneida‑Herkimer facility processes substantial seasonal peaks (cardboard and wrapping paper after holidays) and supplements recycling with green‑waste composting and a food‑to‑energy diversion that supplies feedstock for nearby sewage‑processing power generation.
Staff and committee members discussed operational scale and costs. A presenter accompanying the MRF material said a shown pile represented about a half‑day of incoming material; Turk said Lewis County ships roughly 3,000 tons per year to the facility and will negotiate a new recycling contract in 2027. County staff and others noted that some counties using the facility do not pay for tipping while others pay an administrative fee; funding models rely on sales of sorted commodities plus grant support (including DEC recycling grants) and some bonded capital investments.
Questions from legislators focused on daily tonnage, staffing levels and whether recycling costs more than landfill disposal on a per‑ton basis. County staff responding to questions said the facility operates roughly 15–20 line staff with about 90 total employees at the site; one committee member observed that, on a per‑ton basis, the county currently pays more to recycle than to send material to the local landfill, although the county gains landfill life and other long‑term benefits.
Turk said the county is studying contractual options and financing to support expanded diversion and will report back during the 2027 contracting process.
