It saddens me that the place where I was born and raised is now known for its landfill
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, Bluefield, WV
September 11, 2012
Trash coming by rail to benefit McDowell
By KATE COIL
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
WELCH — Officials in McDowell County are looking to generate extra revenue by bringing in out-of-state trash to sustain the county’s landfill.
McDowell County Commission President Gordon Lambert said the county is receiving payment for out-of-state trash imported via rail into the Copper Ridge Landfill in Capels. Lambert said the 25 freight cars brought into the landfill on Monday was part of a “one-time deal” to bring in out-of-state trash.
“Solid waste owns the permits to the landfill, so we own the permit to the waste,” Lambert said. “A private company — EnviroSolutions, Inc. — is operating in behalf of the county. They didn’t tell us until it was here that they were bringing trash in via rail from out-of-state. This is a one-time deal with 25 railroad cars that will be coming in from out-of-state. What happens is solid waste gets 50 cents a ton for anything that comes in and the county gets $2 a ton for everything more than 4,000 tons that comes in.”
Lambert said the county does not generate enough waste to sustain a local landfill, so bringing in outside garbage could not only keep the landfill open but also generate revenue for the county.
“The county doesn’t have enough to sustain a landfill of our own, though the landfill has helped the county get cleaner,” he said. “Our solid waste board has won four Clean County awards in a row out of the whole state. That has a lot to do with inmates helping pick up garbage and having the landfill for people to haul things to.”
According to Lambert, the Copper Ridge Landfill was designed for trash to be brought in on freight cars.
“The landfill was set up for outside trash to be brought in from rail cars,” Lambert said. “The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Environmental Protect with the state control what can go in there, just like every other landfill. It is a mix of demolition, personal and other garage. If we could bring more in, the county could definitely profit from that. We will be looking into bringing in garbage in the future as a way to make money.”
Lambert said bringing in garbage from out of state would be no different than disposing of local garbage in the landfill.
“Garbage is garbage, no matter where it comes from,” he said. “This isn’t a health risk to anyone.”
The Copper Ridge Landfill provides disposal services to McDowell County residents and businesses as well as trash brought in through long-haul trucking and rail waste streams. The landfill takes municipal solid waste, construction and demolition materials, soils, auto shred residue, industrial waste, filter cake and process sludge.
The landfill covers 106-acres and began operation in 2007. It receives an estimated 50,000 tons of waste per month transported in by rail car and truck.
