Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Feb. 21, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Confusion surrounding agreement with city after public told all garbage to be weighed
County officials responded to confusion over plans for Fillmore’s landfill by announcing last week that household waste will continue to be allowed at the city’s transfer station 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
This announcement follows news previously reported about changes to Fillmore’s landfill, including a possible closure of the city’s transfer station.
Fillmore City officials told members of the public during a recent public hearing the county was planning to move the transfer station behind the landfill’s gates, allowing dumping only during operating hours and charging for the service.
Scales to weigh garbage coming into the Fillmore landfill as well as new fees are in the works, officials say, but charging for household waste is not part of the county’s plans.
The county put out a notice last Tuesday stating that effective immediately, “The Fillmore Collection site located at 400 N 1100 W in Fillmore will accept HOUSEHOLD WASTE ONLY. Please use the site for disposing of common household items such as food waste and packaging materials.”
The notice further asked the public to dump larger items, such as appliances, mattresses and furniture at the Fillmore landfill.
“We apologize for any inconvenience caused by recent changes. The County acknowledges the necessary convenience and aims to streamline the process for residents,” the county’s notice states.
Commissioner Bill Wright recently took over oversight duties for waste management in the county. Previous to that, Commissioner Trevor Johnson was in that role. He led negotiations with Fillmore City in order to enact changes that would allow Fillmore to keep its landfill open—for years the city worked behind the scenes to keep its dump open as county officials worked to possibly close it.
At one point the city even received written notice that the county would be shutting the landfill down.
Now the plan is to keep it open, use scales to weigh the amount of waste coming into the landfill and base charges for waste disposal on trash by weight.
Scales may or may not be placed at the county’s main landfill near Delta, depending how operations go in Fillmore using the new scales.
Typically, waste at both landfills is measured in cubic yards.
Unlike in the main landfill, waste coming into the Fillmore facility typically can only be construction debris, lawn clippings and tree limbs, or large household items.
Fillmore City owns its landfill but has a memorandum of understanding that allows the county to operate it. Mayor Mike Holt recently told a member of the public that if the city were to attempt to take over operations of the landfill, it would need to raise millions of dollars in reclamation funds as required by the state in order to operate it. Holt said the city does not have those funds.
Wright said beyond the city’s transfer station remaining available, dumpsters for household waste would still also be available at the landfill, which could see its operating hours extended in order to accommodate the public.
He said the county had no plans to charge for household waste even at the landfill, even for large items like mattresses and appliances.
“Anybody that has household waste they can go through the gate, they will not be charged…If you have mattresses, if you have a refrigerator, if you have a stove, that’s considered household waste. You will be able to go in, there’s no fee for you. What they need to get clear is that stuff (large items) can’t go to the transfer station because all we can take at the transfer station is household waste in bags in the dumpster,” Wright said.
County officials recently mulled putting cameras up at transfer stations in Delta and Fillmore to monitor what is being dumped and citing people who dump items only meant for the landfills.
