The start of Bath’s new solid waste contract will realize savings for the county

 Since January of 2012 the Board of Supervisors and County Administration has been tasked with reviewing the way in which we handle solid waste.  This was done, because the contract that was in place was coming to an end, and, we needed to evaluate our needs based on the current way in which we handle our trash.

We have selected Republic Services to provide the overall service to the County.  This is the same company with whom we had a contract during the previous five years.  We have also retained the services of Jack’s Trash, a local business, to continue the green box pick-ups that they have done for us during the previous contract.  All of the employees of both Republic Services and Jack’s Trash have retained their jobs.

What else remains the same?

White goods, tires and brush can still be taken to the Solid Waste Service Center (aka the dump) just as before.

Contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners will still be able to take their construction waste to the site.  However, they will have to unload materials by hand into a dumpster as the tipping floor is no longer in use at this time.  There is the option to drive directly to the landfill in Covington.  Please remember to have copies of your building permit and solid waste permit with you when disposing of construction waste at either location. 

What has changed?

We are hauling our trash to Covington.  This is better than in the previous contract when we hauled our trash to Richmond.  The mileage savings in fuel costs is obvious. 

We are adding a trash compactor to the Warm Springs site in place of one roll off.  We are also adding a roll off to the Millboro site.   The roll off is being placed at Millboro in order to provide residents a more suitable place to dump household solid waste. 

The compactors allow Republic Services to more efficiently load a truck (saving us money) and the compactors are used to prevent raccoons, bears and other scavenger animals from feasting on our trash and littering the area (saving us aggravation).

The transfer station is not closing. It will remain open as before providing the same type of service as before, but, instead of dumping the trash on to the floor—the trash must be offloaded into a dumpster.  There will be someone there to assist in the process. 

In response to concerns about the transfer station building, an engineering study will be taking place to determine the cost to fix it and how to best repurpose that building.  This study will also determine what is needed to remain compliant with existing DEQ regulations.

As a result of our new contracts with both Jack’s Trash and Allied Waste the county anticipates an annual savings of approximately $160,000.00. 

We plan to review the solid waste system at least annually to see how we can achieve greater efficiencies in service delivery, costs, and increasing recycling.