The city today released responses to questions citizens had on its proposed solid waste transfer station at a public hearing on December 16. The city's responses are posted as they were sent and are in italics. The citizen names are in bold and include their formal titles.

Mr. Jack Moore  

Will Waste Management continue to pick up commercial trash?  If so, will they be required to dispose at the City's transfer station?  If not, how many more trucks and dumpsters will the City need?

The plan is to franchise the city limits of Roanoke Rapids that will require all commercial solid waste to be brought to the proposed City waste transfer station.  This is permitted under NC law and a common practice.  Under the proposed franchise agreement, all commercial haulers will be required to bring solid waste that they collect inside the city limits to the proposed City waste transfer station.  The City presently has no plans to expand into the commercial solid waste collection business as a service offered directly by the City.

To comply with new State laws regarding plastics in the landfills, how many employees will the City have to employ to separate recyclables?

This requirement should not have an increased requirement for employees to operate the proposed waste transfer station.  The plastics ban went into place on October 1, 2009.  Other items banned for disposal in NC Landfills include:  used oil, yard trash (exception is LCID landfills), white goods, antifreeze, aluminum cans, whole scrap tires, lead-acid batteries, motor vehicle oil filters, many rigid plastic containers, wooden pallets, oyster shells, and discarded computer equipment (not intended to be a complete list, just examples).

NC DENR has indicated that the intent of the ban(s) is not to go after the individual household, but rather directed at larger producers of the banned materials.  However, if the City received a load of waste at the proposed transfer station that had a significant amount of banned plastics, the City would be able to reject the load.  Inspections typically take place at the landfill, and the landfill owner/operator (which is not the City) has the same leverage to reject any load that has significant quantities of banned materials.  Since the responsibility of separation of recyclables lies with the waste generator (i.e. the individual or business), the City is not responsible for separating recyclables because they operate a transfer station.

How much new equipment will the City have to purchase for this transfer station?

The only major equipment required to operate the transfer station is a front-end loader and miscellaneous hand tools.  These costs have been incorporated into the start-up costs for the waste transfer station.

Where will the customers come from?

City residential and commercial.  City commercial and industrial will be based on franchising requirements – see above, number 1.  In addition, customers can come from anywhere from which it is feasible to get the waste to the transfer station.

Has the City approached others to see if they would be willing to use this transfer station?

Yes, there is a strong interest by private haulers to use this facility.  The City has also met with Halifax County on several occasions to discuss a joint effort for a City/County transfer facility.  Those discussions are on-going.

How much will the City's insurance increase with this transfer station?

Because the City is already in the solid waste collection business, the insurance liability premium cost increase will be very little – primarily based only on the additional budgeted amount for operating a new facility.  The property insurance premium amount is estimated to increase approximately $1,200 annually (using a property value of $1 million for the new facility).

How many days will the transfer station hold solid waste during inclement weather when it cannot be transferred to the landfill?

The permit will require that the tipping floor is cleaned every day.  There will be no storage on the tipping floor barring an emergency situation.

Mr. Dwayne Patrick  

If you only need 4 acres for a landfill and are considering a site that is 50 acres, what will you do with the rest of the acreage?

The required size of the facility is based on topography and configuration.  Typically 4-10 acres is suitable.  The size and associated cost of larger tracts of land will be accounted for during the analysis of short-listed sites and could very well be a factor in final selection.

If the solid waste has to stay at the transfer station for a few days, what will it smell like during the summer?

The State permit will not allow solid waste to remain on the tipping floor.  It must be removed each day.

Will the City be responsible for keeping the site clean and cleaning up the debris that falls from the trucks en route to the transfer station?

The City will be responsible for keeping the Transfer Station Site clean; it will be part of the Facilities Operations Plan.  The owners of trucks carrying waste to the facility are responsible for any debris they may spill as they haul the debris to the appropriate landfill site.

What do the people that live around the transfer station have to look forward to other than the bad smell and mess?

A Municipal Solid Waste Transfer Station does not automatically signify "bad smell and mess".   A solid waste transfer station is not the same as a landfill.  Transfer stations do not store solid waste overnight.  This lack of a long-term presence of solid waste on the site substantially eliminates the odors that are produced at landfills.  The site will be kept clean and neat and will not store trash and debris.  Near-by land owners could benefit from a convenient location near their homes and, in the future, a convenient recycling facility if that service is offered later.

What will the transfer station consist of?

I would refer to some of the preliminary schematics that have already been prepared to answer this question.   These would include a large (approximately 7,000 square foot) facility with a circular drive around the perimeter to allow trucks to enter and exit the facility with ease.

Will there be more meetings to explain this further?

Yes.

Mr. Winston Leonard 

Where will the additional tonnage come from—the 7,000 tons vs. 28,000 tons?

The additional solid waste volume will come from the commercial sites that are located inside the city limits.  The franchise requirements (see above) will require all commercial operations to use the proposed transfer facility.  Additional volume will come from those haulers and businesses outside the city limits that choose to use the proposed facility.

Will the City take all of the customers from Waste Management, Weldon, Littleton and the south side of Virginia?

No.

Where will the landfill be?

The City is reviewing the different landfill options that may be used to transport the solid waste from the proposed facility to a landfill in either North Carolina or Virginia, including a long-term deal on the tipping fee for the landfill.  There is not a plan by the City to build a new land fill.

How long will the solid waste remain on the loading dock?

The tipping floor must be cleaned each day (see above).

Where are the two sites on US 158 rated?

These two sites are considered to be in the top 5 of sites that have been evaluated during the initial site selection process.

How many sites were looked at inside the corporate limits of Roanoke Rapids?

An estimated 6 to 8 sites inside the city limits were reviewed or researched.

Where is the County in all of this?

The City has discussed the possibility of partnering with the County on several occasions.  The City has invited the County to join it in investigating the construction of a joint transfer station that both entities could use to serve its respective residents.  It is our understanding that the County is still considering its options with regard to the waste transfer station.