Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Garbage sorting: a dirty job, but Snohomish County wants to do it
There's a plan this year to take a magnifying glass to the garbage that residents and businesses send to Snohomish County transfer stations.
Today, the County Council plans to discuss a proposed $105,000 contract for a yearlong effort to dig through, sort and weigh garbage in the county's waste stream.
"The average person might not think rummaging through garbage is one of the best jobs they might have," county Solid Waste director Sam Chandler said. "We love it, though."
It's been 10 years since the county last rifled through garbage to study what is thrown away and how much, Chandler said. Knowing what is going to landfills helps officials find ways to steer more items to recycling and improve recycling education campaigns.
That especially includes a new government focus on televisions and electronic waste, he said.
If approved, the county will hire a contractor to spend a year intermittently sorting through garbage brought into transfer stations. Garbage and recycling collected curbside won't be studied, Chandler said.
Officials hope to find examples of businesses that are dumping valuable and recyclable clean wood or plastic, Chandler said. That translates into more money for the county and keeps garbage rates from climbing more steeply, he said.
The job won't be too gross, Chandler said. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "I'm a garbage guy, though. You run into an occasional diaper, but you try not to focus on that too much. You focus on good, dry, easy-to-sort stuff."
Lots of people compost their food waste, or put it in with their yard waste, Chandler said. "We've taken some of the 'ick' factor out of it," he said. "That's why our stations really don't smell too much anymore."
A briefing on the contract is planned by the County Council's public works and transportation committee plans today at 1:30 p.m. in the eighth floor council chambers at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
Today, the County Council plans to discuss a proposed $105,000 contract for a yearlong effort to dig through, sort and weigh garbage in the county's waste stream.
"The average person might not think rummaging through garbage is one of the best jobs they might have," county Solid Waste director Sam Chandler said. "We love it, though."
It's been 10 years since the county last rifled through garbage to study what is thrown away and how much, Chandler said. Knowing what is going to landfills helps officials find ways to steer more items to recycling and improve recycling education campaigns.
That especially includes a new government focus on televisions and electronic waste, he said.
If approved, the county will hire a contractor to spend a year intermittently sorting through garbage brought into transfer stations. Garbage and recycling collected curbside won't be studied, Chandler said.
Officials hope to find examples of businesses that are dumping valuable and recyclable clean wood or plastic, Chandler said. That translates into more money for the county and keeps garbage rates from climbing more steeply, he said.
The job won't be too gross, Chandler said. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "I'm a garbage guy, though. You run into an occasional diaper, but you try not to focus on that too much. You focus on good, dry, easy-to-sort stuff."
Lots of people compost their food waste, or put it in with their yard waste, Chandler said. "We've taken some of the 'ick' factor out of it," he said. "That's why our stations really don't smell too much anymore."
A briefing on the contract is planned by the County Council's public works and transportation committee plans today at 1:30 p.m. in the eighth floor council chambers at 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
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