BRODHEAD - When it comes to trash hauling, some local townships are considering self-sufficiency.
Green County Transfer Station Manager Randy Thompson and Town of Monroe Supervisor Todd Hasse discussed the possibilities of hiring the county transfer station to pick up trash in townships Thursday, Nov. 14 at a meeting of the Solid Waste Management Board.
All 16 townships in Green County are currently using private haulers or have left residents to hire their own private haulers.
"Why don't we take care of ourselves?" Hasse asked.
To begin the project, each participating town would need its own 8-yard trash container.
Thompson is searching for a used, compactor garbage truck, which could collect several communities' trash in one circuit trip. Recycling would also be picked up, in a separate trip.
At least four towns in Green County have expressed interest in the plan, and four more are considering it, according to Thompson.
He has been invited to present the idea next week at a towns association meeting in Monroe.
Board members did not object to Thompson and Hasse moving forward with the idea, and Reid Stangel volunteered to look into the purchase of a used truck for the project.
"Recycling is a commodity," Hasse said.
The Town of Monroe contracts with a private company to have its recycling picked up, but taking it to the county transfer station, which sells recycling and returns the revenues over costs to its members, would mean money coming back, he noted.
Also, the private trash hauling company for the Town of Monroe offered to reduce its monthly rate if it didn't have to haul to the county transfer station, Hasse said. But the town is already paying hundreds of dollars a month to be a member of the county's station, which allows the town's private residents and local companies to dump their trash there at a reduced cost. Hasse believes the reduced price helps keeps trash out of the town's road ditches.
"Why don't we use that money?" he said.
The new service would not require hiring new employees yet, Thompson said. He hopes its success will mean a larger volume of trash, eventually more employees and even a lower cost per ton for members.
The idea for a pickup service came from Columbia County, Thompson said.
"They're already doing it," he said. "And Rock County is talking about it."
Columbia County started its pickup service as a way to keep its own solid wastes in the county and save its municipal facility, according to Thompson.
Columbia County's website lists dumping (tipping) fees for normal household, commercial and office trash at $52 per ton. Green County's charges range from $45 to $57 per ton.
Thompson said the new pickup service would cost extra, but he expects it to be much lower than a private company would charge.
The transfer station is now debt-free, having made its last equipment payment last month, but is eyeing upcoming repairs and maintenance costs.
As a materials recovery facility, the Green County transfer station received its latest inspection report on Oct. 21 from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The facility is fully compliant and had no violations. DNR's South Central Region Recycling Coordinator Marie Stewart noted the facility "looked good" and was "well-run."
Green County Transfer Station Manager Randy Thompson and Town of Monroe Supervisor Todd Hasse discussed the possibilities of hiring the county transfer station to pick up trash in townships Thursday, Nov. 14 at a meeting of the Solid Waste Management Board.
All 16 townships in Green County are currently using private haulers or have left residents to hire their own private haulers.
"Why don't we take care of ourselves?" Hasse asked.
To begin the project, each participating town would need its own 8-yard trash container.
Thompson is searching for a used, compactor garbage truck, which could collect several communities' trash in one circuit trip. Recycling would also be picked up, in a separate trip.
At least four towns in Green County have expressed interest in the plan, and four more are considering it, according to Thompson.
He has been invited to present the idea next week at a towns association meeting in Monroe.
Board members did not object to Thompson and Hasse moving forward with the idea, and Reid Stangel volunteered to look into the purchase of a used truck for the project.
"Recycling is a commodity," Hasse said.
The Town of Monroe contracts with a private company to have its recycling picked up, but taking it to the county transfer station, which sells recycling and returns the revenues over costs to its members, would mean money coming back, he noted.
Also, the private trash hauling company for the Town of Monroe offered to reduce its monthly rate if it didn't have to haul to the county transfer station, Hasse said. But the town is already paying hundreds of dollars a month to be a member of the county's station, which allows the town's private residents and local companies to dump their trash there at a reduced cost. Hasse believes the reduced price helps keeps trash out of the town's road ditches.
"Why don't we use that money?" he said.
The new service would not require hiring new employees yet, Thompson said. He hopes its success will mean a larger volume of trash, eventually more employees and even a lower cost per ton for members.
The idea for a pickup service came from Columbia County, Thompson said.
"They're already doing it," he said. "And Rock County is talking about it."
Columbia County started its pickup service as a way to keep its own solid wastes in the county and save its municipal facility, according to Thompson.
Columbia County's website lists dumping (tipping) fees for normal household, commercial and office trash at $52 per ton. Green County's charges range from $45 to $57 per ton.
Thompson said the new pickup service would cost extra, but he expects it to be much lower than a private company would charge.
The transfer station is now debt-free, having made its last equipment payment last month, but is eyeing upcoming repairs and maintenance costs.
As a materials recovery facility, the Green County transfer station received its latest inspection report on Oct. 21 from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The facility is fully compliant and had no violations. DNR's South Central Region Recycling Coordinator Marie Stewart noted the facility "looked good" and was "well-run."