Trash rules to be enforced

Residents have been taking advantage of lax enforcement and unpaid dumping fees.

By BARBARA BEHRENDT
Published June 26, 2007

The county has lost more than $500,000 in fees that would have been collected at the landfill, and has spent another $200,000 transporting those excluded items from the transfer stations to the landfill.
	[Times photo: Keri Wiginton]

BROOKSVILLE - Residents used to dropping off items such as old furniture, construction debris and yard waste at the county's two trash transfer stations may be in for a jolt soon.

After years of lax enforcement, the county is about to start enforcing the rules, meaning those who bring such items to the stations will be turned away and sent to the main landfill.

There, after a likely grace period without cost, they will have to pay to drop off certain kinds of debris and materials.

The reason for the crackdown is simple: Being lax on the rules has been costing county taxpayers about $750,000 a year.

"We cannot continue to hemorrhage like that with those kinds of fees not being paid that should be," said David Horne, assistant utilities director for solid waste and recycling.

Horne, who has been with the county for nearly a year, said that he has observed that the county's solid waste assessment ordinance has not been strictly followed. Items that people should pay a fee to dump have been accepted for free at the east and west side transfer stations.

The ordinance establishes that Hernando residents pay a $63.05 fee per year for the disposal of household trash. That fee covers the disposal of the trash, but it is up to the resident to pay for a trash hauler to collect the trash.

The ordinance also explains what can be included in that trash. Many of the items that are excluded under the ordinance are being dumped at the transfer stations.

That includes furniture, large quantities of household garbage, construction items and debris from land clearing such as large tree limbs, stumps and brush.

Horne estimates that the county has lost more than $500,000 in fees that would have been collected at the landfill, and has spent another $200,000 transporting those excluded items from the transfer stations to the landfill, including paying workers to sort through the debris at the stations.

"The residents of Hernando County have fallen under the assumption that they can bring in anything and everything they want and that the assessment pays for it," he said.

But that is not what the ordinance says.

Horne met with County Administrator Gary Kuhl and County Commission Chairman Jeff Stabins on Monday to talk about stricter enforcement. Commissioners will hear more details at their July 24 meeting.

Horne said that if the county allows the lax enforcement to continue, at some point, utilities officials will have to ask the commission to increase the disposal assessment. He doesn't want to see that happen, especially since he believes a minority of the people are creating the problem.

In the weeks ahead, Horne will meet with the transfer station staff and to explain how to enforce the rules consistently.

Informational fliers about the changes will also have to be created because the existing transfer station information states that some of the excluded items are allowed to be dumped there.

Even the term "transfer station" needs to be reconsidered because Horne said the drop-off points don't have the features needed to be a state-approved formal transfer station.

He said he hoped people would understand why the stricter enforcement is needed.

"It's a minority of the people who feel they should be entitled to this who aren't entitled to this," he said. "I want to ensure that people are paying for what they should be paying for."

Barbara Behrendt can be reached at behrendt@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

[Last modified June 25, 2007, 20:48:10]