SWA Submits Pocahontas County Siting Plan and Comprehensive Plan 2026 Updates

At a special meeting of the Pocahontas County Solid Waste Authority (SWA) on October 15^th, the members voted to release draft copies of their 2026 Commercial Solid Waste Facility Siting Plan and their 2026 Comprehensive Litter and Solid Waste Control Plan.

These very large and extensive plans will now be made available to the public starting on October 30, 2025, with copies being made available for public review at the Pocahontas County solid Waste Authority Offices, in the libraries, and at the Pocahontas County Clerk’s office during regular business hours. These are the required 5-year updates, with the last ones done in 2019. There will be a public hearing about these on December 3^rd in the County Courthouse as required by state law, and they will not be formerly approved by the SWA until after that. These plans can also be amended at future SWA meetings even prior to the next mandated 5-year update. Following the public meetings and comments, the SWA will adopt the programs which will not become effective until they are also approved by the State Solid Waste Management Board.

A very brief description of what these are follows:

1. The Commercial Solid Waste Facility Siting Plan addresses the solid waste collection and disposal as it now exists. It is designed to inform residents about the Solid Waste sites in the county and the planning for commercial Solid Waste facilities that are designed to provide continued efficient, safe, and healthy solid waste collection and disposal in the most economic manner possible. This plan details the Solid Waste Facility Zones & the reason these Siting Zones are established in the county. It defines: Landfill Classes; Recycling Facilities; Transfer Stations; Material Recovery Facilities; Commercial Composting Facilities, and Energy Recovery Facilities. It explains which of these are in use in the county, and which are not, and why.

2. The Comprehensive Litter and Solid Waste Control Plan. It includes the stated goal for the SWA to establish a Transfer Station at the site of the landfill when it closes in 2026. It also describes the 20-year outlook for the county; the current solid waste status here; county, municipal, and private hauler cooperation; the laws against unauthorized and illegal dumping; litter prevention and clean-up; how litter violations are dealt with; the green box program, including the mandatory garbage disposal laws (or Green box Fees;) and the recycling programs.

Also at the meeting, the SWA approved the $18.105.25 bid by Irving Electric to repair the greenhouse at the landfill.

They approved paying Summersville Glass $510.00 to repair the broken windshield on their garbage truck.

And they approved a motion to have their engineer draw up a bid package for the future transfer station.