Clayton landfill price hike raises ire of community, businesses

Amount of waste taken in daily: 200 tons

Percentage of waste that comes from Clayton County: 40 percent

The amount of money Clayton has spent to subsidize the landfill: $2 million in the last two years

Source: Clayton County Landfill in Lovejoy

The Cost of Getting Rid of Your Trash

On July 1, Clayton County residents will pay more to dispose of household items not picked up through normal curbside trash collection. Here is a sampling of what it costs to get rid of trash and waste in the five core counties in metro Atlanta.

CLAYTON

County-owned landfill in Lovejoy

Now

Residents: $15 a load (bed of pickup truck or trunk of car, etc.)

Non-residents: $20 a load

Individuals or businesses coming in with trailers, etc.: $40 a ton

July 1

The price goes up to $100 a ton. It will cost $100 minimum to dispose of waste at the Lovejoy facility

COBB

(The county has a privately-run but county-monitored transfer station. It does not have an operating landfill. The transfer station takes appliances, furniture, electronics and regular trash)

Price: First 400 pounds is $7. Then, it is 3 cents a pound after that.

DEKALB

County-owned landfill, 4203 Clevemont Rd. in Ellenwood.

Price: $16.50 up to 1,000 pounds. After that, the price goes up to $33 a ton.

FULTON

The landfill in Roswell takes construction and demolition debris. No residential household trash allowed although residents can take debris from a home renovation project there.

Price: $50 a ton There will be a small increase on July 1.

The transfer station in Alpharetta only takes household trash.

Price: minimum of $71 for a ton or less.

GWINNETT

Lawrenceville transfer station charges a minimum of $69.30 a ton. It’s prorated at a rate of 69.30 a ton. Central Gwinnett transfer station charges a minimum of $57 for anything under a ton. It prorates at $57 for the next ton.

Source: The facilities.

Bill Waters and David Bartram have made their living hauling trash and debris to the Clayton County landfill for years. But next month, the two businessmen say they’ll be forced to take their loads - and business - elsewhere.

Starting July 1, the Lovejoy facility will charge residents and businesses a minimum of $100 to dispose of waste at the 171- acre complex. It’s a sticker shock for residents used to paying $15 a carload and owners of waste-hauling businesses that now pay $40 a ton.

But officials say the price hike is needed to prolong the life of the 21-year-old landfill, which has been running at a deficit for the last two years and at risk of reaching capacity in the next two years. Critics say the new prices will force residents and businesses to go elswhere to dispose of waste or lead to illegal dumping in the county.

The 150-percent increase surprised one official with the state environmental protection division.

“Honestly, that’s the highest price hike I’ve heard in Georgia,” said Christy Kehn-Lewis, unit coordinator for the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s Solid Waste Management program, which monitors landfills and transfer stations throughout the state. “Unfortunately it’s (price) not something we regulate.”

There are eight landfills in the five core metro Atlanta counties. Clayton and DeKalb are the only two core counties with landfills open to the general public. The rest are devoted to commercial disposal and chiefly take in construction or demolition waste, Kehn-Lewis said. The public still has the option of taking trash to transfer stations throughout the metro area which, in turn, haul the waste to landfills. Most fees generally hover around the $40-per-ton range, Kehn-Lewis said.

Clayton officials say the price hike is needed to sustain the 21-year-old landfill, which has been operating at a deficit for the last two years. The county has subsidized the facility to the tune of $2 million during that time, Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said. As chairman, Turner also sits on the county’s Solid Waste Management Authority Board which approved the price hike May 26.

In addition to operating in the hole, the facility runs the risk of reaching its capacity in less than two years if it continues taking in the amount of waste and debris at its current pace, says Jeff Metarko, the county official in charge of the landfill. Over the last two years, the landfill has seen a 30 percent to 40 percent increase in the amount of waste it’s taking in, that in turn is “making a dent” in its remaining capacity, Metarko said. Less than half of the waste dumped at the landfill comes from Clayton. Most of the waste comes from Henry and other surrounding counties.

“This will extend the life of the landfill beyond the next couple of years,” Turner said.

That’s little consolation to Waters and Bartram or residents like Simon Barando of Jonesboro.

“It’s going to cost $200 for two loads,” Barando said just after he and a friend dropped off the first of two loads earlier this week. “We’re going to have to find different means of disposal.”

Bartram’s business is three miles from the landfill, where he’s been hauling trash and other waste since the landfill opened in 1995. Bartram currently spends an average of $15,000 to $20,000 a month at the landfill. That will skyrocket to about $50,000 a month - if he continues going there.

“They did this without figuring out what the impact to the surrounding area would be,” Bartram said. “There’s going to be an uptick of illegal dumping on dirt roads or side of the roads. People are going to say ‘I ain’t paying that’ and they’ll chuck it out on the side of the road.””

Bartram takes trash to the landfill several times a day, making him one of the largest users of the facility. He’s angry because county officials “didn’t take the time to call and say ‘hey how will this impact your business?’ They did it overnight.” Now he’ll be forced to pass exorbitant charges to his customers or go somewhere else

“They’re going to lose a lot of business,” Bartram said. “They think they’re running at a deficit now. Wait until the new prices go into effect.”