BOCC gives green light to sticker program

WALLACE — Talking trash would normally upset most people, but in this case- it may be a good thing.

Notices will go in the mail next week informing county residents that, as of Jan. 1, 2018, a new solid waste window sticker program will be implemented at the local transfer station, located at 52619 Silver Valley Road, near Kellogg.

This announcement is the culmination of nearly 3 months of talks and brainstorming between the Shoshone County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) and transfer station employees regarding better ways to manage the financial aspects of the only official waste disposal site in our area.

The two entities have been meeting for several months now to address the major concerns of costs associated with using the transfer station and a more effective way to identify customers.

These concerns first arose when the BOCC passed a resolution on March 4, 2015, that amended fees for the disposal of wood waste and sorted construction materials.

Mike Fitzgerald, County Commissioner, said “the resolution was prompted by the closing of the Page Repository and the need to establish fees for disposal of non-residential wastes.”

A simple problem to address, in theory, but got more complicated as it was put into action.

“The Resolution provided overlapping definitions for construction waste and household garbage,” Fitzgerald explained.

“This gray area created confusion for Solid Waste staff and customers.”

Essentially, transfer station employees were unable to properly manage who should and should not pay for dumping the aforementioned materials.

To temporarily fix this problem, the county amended the March 4 resolution on August 16, 2017, to sure-up the language and enforce the previous fee structure.

Signage at the transfer station to explain these changes was also included.

With a short-term solution in place, the two public entities then decided to work together and devise a better system.

After several ideas were thrown around, both agreed that a sticker program was the best course of action.

The notice that will be sent out to residents states, “the purpose of this program is to readily identify Shoshone County Solid Waste Customers and allow them access to the Solid Waste System. The windshield sticker allows the customer to dispose of waste at the transfer station and the rural sites.”

The stickers will be valid for one year and will be distributed beginning Jan. 1 of each year.

To obtain one of these stickers, customers will be asked to complete and return an application that will be mailed to them later this month.

According to the BOCC, upon the completion of the application, the Solid Waste Department will investigate and determine whether or not a parcel of property has been assessed a solid waste fee.

If the property has been assessed a solid waste fee, and the fees have been paid, then the department will issue two current year windshield stickers to the customer at no charge.

An additional two stickers, above the two issued free, may be purchased at a cost of 5 dollars per sticker.

It is established that the program will allow a maximum of four stickers per parcel.

If a customer requires a replacement of stickers for any reason, a charge of 5 dollar per sticker will be assessed.

The idea of a sticker program for the use of waste disposal is not a new concept.

Neighboring counties such as Kootenai and Bonner also use this type of system.

The Shoshone County Solid Waste Department has an annual budget of approximately $1 million.

Approximately $850,000 of that is transport and disposal of garbage to a landfill located in Missoula, Montana.

The remainder of the budget is expended on personnel, equipment, and other operational needs.

Revenue for the department are generated from three sources- fees, sale of recyclables, and levied dollars.

The Soild Waste Department can be reached at 208-784-5190.