City approves funding for trash baler

Wrangell is getting a machine to cut, mash and bundle up its trash into compact bales for the ride out of town.

The borough assembly on April 13 approved spending more than $600,000 to buy and install a solid waste baler so that the garbage will no longer head south as loose trash, which presents a fire risk.

Public Works Director Tom Wetor told the assembly that Republic Services, which collects trash for Wrangell, reported in 2018 that the city had until 2023 to begin shipping its trash in closed containers. Alaska Marine Lines, which barges waste off the island, planned to stop shipping tra...