The county commission voted Monday night to grant a contract to turn some of the county’s solid waste disposal duties over to a private company.
Commissioners approved a three-year contract with Southern Central Waste Services, LLC. (SWCS) of McMinnville to take over operation of the new soon solid waste transfer station. The county’s solid waste committee recommended the SCWS bid proposal, one of two submitted, be approved.
SCWS will operate the transfer station, and will haul and dispose of the county’s household refuse at the Rhea County Landfill in Dayton.
“The bid was for SCWS to operate the transfer station; to provide two employees; a scale operator; an equipment operator; to furnish the equipment to load the trucks; to pay all utilities at the transfer station; and to do the transfer station billing. The county will receive all proceeds from tipping fees of other vendors who use the transfer station," County Mayor Tim Stribling said at Monday’s commission meeting.
The county will pay SCWS according to a sliding scale, with the rate dropping as the volume of trash increases.
Rates set are:
Up to 1,000 tons per month: $55 per ton
1001 to 1250 tons per month: $54 per ton
1251 to 1500 tons per month: $53 per ton
1501 or more tons per month: $51 per ton.
While the county originally intended to operate the transfer station and ship trash to Smith County, who was contracted to charge $29 per ton for disposal, Stribling said that it turned out that it would be more economical to farm the operation out to a private company.
“Back in August we asked for two different types of bids,” Stribling told the commissioners. “One was for shipping the waste and the other was for operating the transfer station as a whole including loading, shipping, and tipping. We didn’t receive any bids at that time. A few weeks after, a couple of companies showed some interest. We rebid it with the intention of one company operating the transfer station, loading the trucks, shipping it, and tipping.”
The county will likely use a 120-day notice of termination clause in their agreement with Smith County to end the contract with them.
Second District Commissioner Joe Johnson voiced concern about when the transfer station will open, saying that the existing landfill is reaching full capacity.
“They could start sometime in February,” the mayor replied, “but we need to send notices out to people who use our landfill to let them know there is going to be a rate increase. That’s really no surprise. We knew there would be a rate increase when we went to a transfer station because once you dump it you have to handle it again. You have to load it, ship it, and tip it. You can’t operate a transfer station as cheap as a landfill.”
County officials will still need to decide whether to open a new Class III landfill for the disposal of construction material, household furniture, and other non-household refuse.
“We will still look at the possibility of opening up a Class III Landfill but they (SCWS) will take anything that goes into a Class III cell. They will take mattresses, couches, or anything we put in our landfill. Of course like us they will not accept household hazardous waste, sludge, etc.,” the mayor concluded.
