County To Remove Walk-in Cans At Solid Waste Sites Extend Hours At Cedar St. And Indian Creek Transfer Station
 | Author:
Linda Kent, MT43 News Staff Reporter
MT43 News Correspondent |
County to Remove Walk-in Cans at Solid Waste Sites Extend Hours at Cedar St. and Indian Creek Transfer Station
Linda Kent
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Broadwater County commissioners agreed to end walk-in can service at all the county’s solid waste collection sites effective Aug. 1. Summer hours at the Cedar Street site in Townsend will be extended to 6 a.m-6 p.m., Monday-Saturday. The Indian Creek solid waste transfer site hours will move to 10 a.m-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“When we first changed our solid waste program in 2019, it was a challenging time,” Commission Chair Darrel Folkvord said. “And the concession that came out of that was the walk-in cans, to still provide that 24-7 service. The deal that was made at that time was that if they would respect them and not abuse them, we would continue to provide that service.
In proposing the change, County Public Works Director TJ Graveley emphasized that the closures are for the walk-in cans available for disposal of household garbage that are available outside of the county’s six solid waste sites only. The sites themselves will remain open during regular hours. Walk-in cans at the Winston solid waste site were removed earlier this year.
In his presentations on the topic at the July 10 and July 17 commission meetings, Graveley included a slideshow of photos taken at the walk-in cans over the course of several days, showing household garbage, tires, and other refuse strewn around the cans left on the ground in front of them.
“There’s some of this stuff if they would just bring it to the transfer station, you’re not going to be charged for,” Graveley told the commissioners, pointing to the example of a metal desk left outside one of the after-hours cans recently. “But please, I beg you, don’t just leave it on the ground.’
Clean-up at the sites and hauling the cans to and from their locations cost the county about $50,000 per year, Graveley said. Staffing extended hours at the transfer site and Cedar Street would yield a net savings to the county’s solid waste fund of about $26,000.
Graveley recommended extending hours at Indian Creek and Cedar Street based on the number of users at the two sites.
Cameras will be installed at all sites, Graveley noted, to capture footage of any individuals leaving trash outside solid waste facilities outside of regular hours. That footage will be turned over to the Broadwater County Sheriff's Office and illegal dumpers could face up to $500 in fines.
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PhotoCredit: See captions
Image 1 Caption: Broadwater County Logo (only used on website article) not need in published article
Image 2 Caption: Meant for household garbage only, walk-in cans at the county’s solid waste sites will be removed effective Aug. 1, following persistent abuses of the system. County Public Works Director TJ Graveley shared a series of photos he had taken at the sites in recent months at the July 10 and 17 commission meetings, showing refuse left outside the cans. Staffed hours at the Cedar St. and Indian Creek Transfer Station sites will be extended at a net savings to the solid waste department of nearly $25,000.
Photos courtesy of TJ Graveley
Image 3 Caption: See caption above
