Landfill authority raises rates

The Montmorency-Oscoda-Alpena Solid Waste Management Authority approved price hikes across the board to help alleviate a projected $140,000 deficit in 2009.

The service increases will be implemented and take effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

"I think that the price increases are fair for everyone," Vice Chairman Rogers Frye said. "We have to take into consideration that the haulers have to inform their customers and make rate adjustments so that's why the new prices will take effect in 2009."

The current price to drop off a singe garbage bag is $1, but will escalate to $2 on New Year's Day.

The largest increases were for receiving asbestos and contaminated soil which requires more documentation and labor.

"With asbestos we have to receive paperwork with information, find a place to bury it and map out its location so that we will always know where it is," President Lyle VanWormer said. "We have been undercharging for this for two long and when your looking a a hundred thousand dollar plus deficit you have o get the money somewhere."

Carriers of fly ash and cement kiln dust will be spending $80 a ton to dispose of it at the landfill. The previous charge was $13.50 a ton.

People who use the landfill to obtain sand and gravel will pay a $25 dollar flat rate with no minimum purchase if the landfill operators use its equipment and employees, but is free if the customers loads by self.

Compacted loads will increase to $31 per ton for people from Alpena, Oscoda and Montmorency counties, but $33 for anyone out of the core counties. Non-compacted loads jump to $12.50 and $13.50.

The company also is going to charge a scale rental fee of $5 per trip.

In other board news and actions:

• The landfill scaled back hours of operation on Saturday in an attempt to control labor prices. The current hours are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays, but will switch to 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Jan. 1. The weekly operation hours will remain 7 a.m.-4 p.m.

The board approved the purchase of a 20,000 gallon, fiberglass, leachate tank for installation in the landfills new cell, warranty pending. There is a 6-8 week delivery wait and the landfill hopes to have it installed sometime before December. The price of the tank is $32,907 and the landfill will install it itself.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached via e-mail at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5689.