Carbon County is joining most, if not all other counties in the state in charging a fee to dispose of waste at the landfill. The Carbon County Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance at the March 1 regular meeting that establishes fees for the disposal of solid waste at the county landfill.
Deputy County Attorney Christian Bryner said, “This (Carbon County) landfill is perhaps the last one in the state that’s not being subsidized by fees for dumping at the landfill.” The preamble to the draft ordinance prepared by Bryner states, “The Carbon County Board of Commissioners finds that the landfill is heavily used by residents of Carbon County and businesses operating inside Carbon County, and finds that the cost of operating the landfill necessitates the collection of fees to mitigate the expenses associated with operating the landfill.”
Beginning April 1 under Carbon County Ordinance number 485, residential waste will be charged the rate of $5.00 per load. Residents disposing of tires will pay an additional fee of $2.00 per tire, and paying with a credit or debit card will add a service fee. The surcharge could vary, but the standard amount discussed at the commission meeting was $1.50 per transaction.
The residential disposal fee will be waived during Price City’s annual spring time community clean up week, which is set for April 1-9.
Commercial enterprises and governmental entities will be charged $20 per ton of waste disposed at the landfill, or $140 per ton for tires. The County may enter into inter-local agreements with local municipalities and other governmental entities at rates other than those set forth.
Wade Williams of City Sanitation said the ordinance, “won’t affect us much because 95 percent of the municipal solid waste we haul goes directly to ECDC.” But he said it could hurt some small businesses. “People might look for a dumpster behind a business to discard their trash,” he speculated. That would require more frequent pickup and would increase the expense to the business.
Illegal dumping fines
Another provision in the ordinance establishes a reward for the successful prosecution of illegal dumping and littering. Carbon County will pay a reward of $250.00 to anyone who makes a report with law enforcement that directly leads to a conviction and sentencing for illegal dumping and littering. Additionally, a fine will be imposed for bringing an uncovered load to the landfill, in accordance with state statutes. The fine will be $25.00 per load of residential waste and $50.00 per ton for commercial waste, and landfill personnel will refer such incidents to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for investigation which could lead to prosecution.
More for outside waste
Waste generated outside of Carbon County will be charged at double the rates for disposal at the landfill.
The ordinance rate structure is subject to exemptions, reductions, or waivers of fees as determined by the Carbon County Board of Commissioners, which may also modify the rates charged.