County supervisors wonder where to put ‘Mount Trashmore’

TUCSON — Pima County has no more “away” to throw things away, and the odds of finding room for a new trash pit are “between zero and zero,” County Manager Chuck Huckleberry told supervisors Tuesday.

The supervisors also raised the dumping fee at Sahuarita to $28 a ton for commercial dumpers but didn’t change the rate for individuals with small loads.

The Sahuarita land fill was closed to commercial haulers in late 2003 for work there. It reopens today for them. It stayed open for residential dumpers.

In a memo, Huckleberry said commercial rates at Sahuarita are $19, $20, $21 and $23 a ton, and for individuals $2 for a carload, $5 for a truck and $10 for a large trailer.

That’s cheaper than what it costs to operate the Sahuarita land fill.

His memo said the operating cost at Sahuarita is $34.50 a ton.

Part of Tuesday’s board discussion centered on what to do as county residents continue to get rid of old construction materials, trashed cars, household waste, cans, white plastic bags and old beer and pop bottles.

Supervisor Sharon Bronson several times expressed concern that higher dumping fees—to pay increasing costs—could lead to more wildcat dumping in the desert.

Her district is the county’s largest and spreads across the rural deserts.

Huckelberry’s memo said the county’s solid waste management division is currently operating at a loss, losing about $1.8 million a year.

He suggested the county may want to talk with the city of Tucson about it taking over the county’s trash operation.

Another option might be to talk to adjoining Pinal and Cochise Counties about exporting trash to there.

Consultant R.W. Beck of Austin, Texas, estimated that by fiscal year 2010-11, the county will be losing about $6.5 million a year to cover solid waste disposal.

Beck prepared a financial audit of the county’s trash problem and will do an environmental audit.

Some other changes the supervisors made Tuesday including raising the dumping fee at the Tangerine land fill to $22, increasing the fee to dump a car to $23.50, imposing tipping fees at the Ryan Field transfer station where now there is none.

Bronson, who moved those items, also called for a report in 90 days to see if wildcat dumping had increased at Ryan Field.

According to the 2006 Statistical Abstract of the United States, every American throws away more than four pounds of trash a day.

New York produces 12,000 tons of garbage a day, and all of it is exported. The city is no longer permitted to put it on barges to dump in the Atlantic.

Pennsylvania is the country’s largest disposal site. Much of the trash from New York and goes there. Of all the municipal waste that crosses state lines, 23 percent goes to Pennsylvania.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749