New contract with landfill OK’d with landfill
Anderson County Law Director Jay Yeager and Mayor Terry Frank get ready for a meeting of the Anderson County Commission. (photo:Ben Pounds )
The new agreement became effective Friday, Sept. 1. It passed at the County Commission’s Aug. 21 meeting.
County Commissioner Aaron Wells made the motion, and Commissioner Robert McKamey seconded. Commissioner Tracy Wandell cast the sole nay vote, although Commissioner Steven Verran abstained. Wandell said the commissioners rarely spend time going over Waste Management’s contracts, despite public complaints about the landfill’s public trash drop-off hours.
Waste Management and the county extended the hours under the new contract, however.
The county will pay $26.33 per ton of garbage, which includes a fee to Waste Management of $25.08, and the rest to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
Waste Management will pay the county $1.62 for each ton of garbage it brings in from outside the county. If the out-of-county waste exceeds 50,000 tons in a year, Waste Management will pay 20 more cents per ton of outside waste.
On weekdays, the landfill was open from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. But that’s expanding to 5:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The Saturday hours are extending from the previous 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. to the new contract’s 6 a.m. until 11 a.m. The landfill is closed on Sundays.
“We get a lot of negative talk from our constituents wanting to know why they can’t dump their garbage on Saturdays, and they shut down at 10 a.m.,” Wandell said regarding the landfill. “It really bugs me, man.”
He said he would like to “sit at the table” with Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and sort out the issues with Waste Management. He said there were “very smart people” on the County Commission who could help.
“I know there are a lot of smart people, but I think I’m very smart. So is Jeff. So are the people who helped us post this bid online,” Frank said, referring to Anderson County Clerk Jeff Cole. “I just have to say I think it’s a pretty darn good agreement when we’re paying the exact same thing.” She said the cost would increase only if the amount of waste did.
Cole said Waste Management had wanted to close the landfill to drop offs on Saturdays entirely, “which would be devastating.”
Under the new contract, however, the contractor agreed instead to be open even longer hours.
Frank told The Courier News that the convenience centers around the county have always had a different schedule and aren’t subject to the agreement.
The county’s website states those facilities are open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
They are at 1413 Briceville Highway in Briceville, 289 Frost Bottom Road in Oliver Springs, 3065 Norris Freeway in Norris, 1992 Lake City Highway in Clinton, and 2520 E. Wolf Valley Road in Clinton.
To find out more the types of recyclables and trash these centers accept, see andersoncountytn.gov/solid-waste-recycling/.
The county can opt out of the landfill contract with a notice at least “180 days before June 30, 2033.”