Out of sight, out of mind probably is how most people think about trash. That has pretty much worked for Wrangell since the municipality closed its landfill at the north end of the island more than a decade ago and started shipping its garbage to an environmentally approved commercial landfill out of state.
The system generally has worked well, moving the problem off the island. Petersburg and Sitka do the same with their garbage.
But, as often happens, the increasing cost could be an issue.
Republic Services, which has been hauling and dumping Wrangell’s trash for years without a rate increase, notified the borough that the rates will go up Aug. 1, adding about $100,000 a year to the municipal budget. The rate hike covers inflation and higher costs for barging the garbage to Seattle and then hauling it by train to a landfill in Eastern Washington.
The assembly approved the new two-year contract last month, and will look at trash collection rates it charges residents as part of its annual review next year. That’s the short-term answer. Longer term, borough officials and the assembly will talk trash with other Southeast towns whose waste management contracts also expire in a couple of years. Maybe there could be savings in a group contract, or something else.
That something else, Public Works Director Tom Wetor told the assembly, could be a regional landfill. At least the communities should talk about what options might exist, he said.
“Could we try to work with a federal agency on a bigger landfill? Basically, open up the box to any and all possible options because the cost — whether it’s Republic or AML or whoever — those costs aren’t going down any time soon,” Wetor said. “And it’s a challenge for everybody in Southeast, and pretty much everybody ships their waste out.”
Selecting a spot for a new Southeast landfill, getting permits, hauling trash to a regional site and maintaining an environmentally responsible landfill that doesn’t leak or leach into the ground or water would not be easy, but the borough is making the right call to take a look, talk with our neighbors, and determine if there are other options before the contract comes up for renewal next time.
— Wrangell Sentinel
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