Garbage disposal remains challenge for officials
Garbage disposal presents a challenge to communities everywhere in America and Warren County is no exception. County residents pay a $30 annual wheel tax and are issued a sticker indicating this. One of the benefits of having this sticker is the privilege of disposing of their household waste in one of 13 convenience centers around the county.
The resulting waste, approximately 160 tons a week, is then hauled off to an out-of-county dump site, the BFI Landfill in Murfreesboro.
According to Director of Sanitation Steve Hillis, the system is working well except for one persistent problem, illegal dumping.
Technically, persons from outside the county, commercial concerns and county residents who have not paid the wheel tax, apparently some who actually live in the county are getting their tags elsewhere to avoid the tax, are forbidden by law to cycle waste into the Warren County system. In spite of this, they continue to do so.
In an effort to curb this activity, in 1994, the Sanitation Department switched from an open bin system to controlled convenience centers with compactors. Attendants were put in place at each of the centers to make sure individuals who utilize them have a valid wheel-tax sticker. Those who do not are advised by the attendants not to dump their waste there.
The problem is these attendants have no real legal authority and are sometimes ignored. People dump their waste even when directed not to do so and there really isn’t much the attendants can do to stop them.
Hillis noted the county constable has been making some effort to help police the problem by tracking down offenders and issuing tickets. However, since no one is assigned to this full time, there is some concern this may not be enough.
“What this county needs is a deputy or someone in law enforcement assigned just to enforce the wheel tax and litter control,” said Hillis. “Murfreesboro has this implemented and it has worked well. It would make our job much easier if this was in place in Warren County.”
“I think we need to look at it,” said Commissioner Bobby Cox, “This has been a problem for the last two or three years and we want to work out a better solution.”
“It’s a matter of having the manpower to police it,” said Health and Welfare committee chairman Wayne Pryor, “You can make a law but if you don’t have the manpower to enforce it, it’s ineffective.”
According to Hillis, two of the problem areas have been Morrison and Centertown with individuals from Coffee and Cannon counties being some of the worst offenders.
“The wheel tax goes to the schools and may eventually be used to fund part of the jail expansion, so it’s unfair for those who pay the county wheel tax, sometimes on more than one vehicle, to have their tax dollars used to dispose of illegally dumped waste,” said Hillis.
Hillis noted that every ton of waste that goes into the compactors costs the county $25.73 for disposal.
Efforts are being made to cut back on those costs. A recycling program is in place for cardboard, newsprint, magazines and books as well as one for aluminum cans and metal appliances. The convenience center located at the Warren County fairgrounds will also take used batteries and oil.
While these programs are effective, the costs for county-wide waste disposal are still significant. Cutting back on illegal dumping is another way to control these costs and certainly deserves some attention.