County councillors were digging into possible changes to hours of operation at the landfill.
It was decided at the Landfill Committee Meeting on May 26 to recommend to Town and County councils, changes to the opening days and hours. Currently, the landfill is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, the committee is looking to change the days of operation from Tuesday to Saturday. On Tuesdays, the landfill would be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to March, and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from April to September. From Wednesday to Saturday, the hours of operating would be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. year round.
Councillor Marvin Brade, who is a representative of the County on the landfill committee, said the extended hours during the summer months would allow users to dispose of any extra refuse that was collected during the two days the landfill is closed. It would especially come in handy for contractors, he said.
The reason the committee has proposed closing the landfill Sundays and Mondays is because staff members have not had a weekend off, Brade added.
Coun. Darrell Troock said he was concerned about the landfill not being open on Sundays, as this is a day that is well utilized by residents to dispose of their garbage. He said he understands the staffing issues and the desire to have a weekend off, but questioned whether this decision would go over well with residents.
In March, 422 vehicles registered at the landfill to dispose of garbage. Saturdays and Sundays were typically the busiest days of the week. Thirty-four vehicles visited the landfill on Saturday, March 5, while 11 visited the landfill on the Sunday. Twenty-three vehicles visited the landfill on Saturday, March 12, while 22 were registered on the Sunday. Twenty-seven vehicles visited the landfill on March 19, while 28 vehicles registered on the Sunday. Seventeen vehicles visited the landfill on March 26, while 21 registered on the Sunday.
Because the landfill is a joint operation between the County and the Town, County manager Mark Oberg suggested councillors bring the proposed changes to the joint meeting scheduled for the end of June.
On a similar note, the County is also pondering making changes to its annual cleanup for residents of Thunder Lake and Lac La Nonne. As it stands, Public Works crews pick up items for transport to the regional landfill from these areas on the long weekend in May. Residents are allowed to have waste at the front of their property, and it’s a service for which the County does not charge.
However, it’s also a service that many people abuse, said Public Works assistant superintendent Ken Hove. He said there have been several instances where crews have had to refuse some of the garbage, because what they put out was unacceptable.
“The system is abused by some people,” Hove said.
Ideas that were tossed around the council table last week included a user-paid system similar to the system in place where residents can purchase a flag and have their driveways plowed during the winter months. This would also help alleviate complaints from residents who have to pay to have their garbage picked up, or haul it to the landfill themselves, Oberg said.
Nothing immediate will happen, he added, and councillors have an entire year to discuss the issue.
