By Steve Garrison
Badly managed and governed – True, it could have been better managed and personnel costs appear excessive. However, the solution might be better management, not throwing it over.
Two to three times as expensive as those on the mainland — Not surprising, given the logistical challenges of trying to provide waste disposal over a group of islands, and having to ship it all to the mainland.
Even with such high prices have run up a substantial deficit – Might want to check out the costs of unfunded DOE mandates over the past several years, and then figure out where the deficit came from.
If County gets out of the solid waste business, users of route collection services will see lower rates, the county’s people and businesses would pay less overall and for- and non-profit entities will very likely provide more efficient and comprehensive solid waste services–including “self haul” for all who need or want it. – Perhaps. Having lived under private and quasi-private solid waste regimes prior to coming to the islands, there are a few downsides:
- We have a substantial portion of the country that live in weird places, at the end of dirt roads, on the top of mountains and so on. We have purchased specialized fire trucks just to get out there. Not quite sure how curbside pickup will work for them.
- Shutting down public waste disposal facilities or even leasing them out, is sort of saying you can never go home again. Reestablishment of such facilities if the alternative does not work out is seldom an economic proposition.
- Under our previous regimes, the cost of pickup was contractually established for a given period of time. We used to dread the step changes in fees when those contracts ran out. They normally have a fee modification clause to cover them every time some bureaucrat at DOE has an “aha” moment. In the meantime, items not specifically enumerated (refrigerators, freezers, boat trailers, plastic dog houses, tractor parts, etc.) were an individual hassle with the collection people, and sometimes included a customized charge for disposal.
Appreciate Steve’s rational observations.
Shutting down Waste Disposal Facility would probably work like the Postal Service. OK if you live on the main drag but you bring it in (in the case of the US Mail you come get it) if you’re in one of those “weird” places.
Charlie B
Deer Harbor
Two issues for me. We will increase our public debt $1.2-3M to build a marginal use facility on San Juan–marginal because Friday Harbor residences and businesses haul their garbage to Skagit County, an option not open to Orcas. Who in their right mind is increasing debt right now? Orcas Island businesses face huge up ticks in fees–Friday Harbor residences and businesses are exempt from this tax–although they get to vote for us to pay it. This facility will be contracted, built and staffed by San Juan Islanders so presumably helping their economy–and that’s a good thing–if you like public works stimulus packages. An alternative? Why not throw your lot in with San Juan Sanitation and spend the $1.2-3M that would go to DEBT SERVICE on actually trying to REDUCE the waste stream—instead of perpetuating a system that is clearly losing money FASTER and more robustly than any other public endeavor probably in the history of San Juan County. Vote NO.
I share Steve Garrison’s view that there’s a real need for self haul solid waste service. I think that need will be met by private operators if Proposition Two is defeated, and I’m pretty sure they’ll do a better job than County has or would.
Careful and conservative economic modeling has shown that this service can be offered more efficiently and at lower cost than County has or will, while paying good wages. San Juan Sanitation has stated that it is interested in providing such service. It sees a need, and a business opportunity. Others have also expressed interest.
I don’t want to see cans and dumpsters along our roads, county or private. County policies in the past, and some elements of Plan A, have pushed for increased route collection. Efficient and fairly priced drop off service doesn’t. Self haul service should be available for anybody who needs or wants to use it.
Steve’s guest column suggests that better management might fix the solid waste system. The problem, though, is that County isn’t just doing things wrong, it’s doing the wrong things.
Lopez solid waste is re-handled at Orcas, instead of going direct to the mainland. Since the San Juan tipping floor was closed (following removal of the roof and being found out of compliance with DOE rules), so is San Juan route collected garbage. Town of Friday Harbor is hauling its garbage direct to Skagit, saving a lot of money and proving that approach works.
Even if it were well run, even if it were re-engineered, a system running tipping floors in the county would probably be more expensive than letting the trucks, from routes and drop off sites, go direct to Skagit. We’re “sub scale” to be operating high fixed cost facilities.
Which brings us to the cost difference. The ferry costs for the long haul trailers going to the mainland, paid by County, are $15 a ton. That’s around 5% of the total cost of garbage disposal here. The rest of the transport cost is included in the Waste Management contract, which is $73 a ton–which is not much more than mainland long haul and disposal contracts. (Waste Management is thought to have given SJSW too good a deal when the contract was negotiated. It expires in 2013 and County expectation is that it will go up considerably if renewed.)
Yes, things cost more here than on the mainland. They don’t cost two to three times as much, though. Groceries cost, by my observation, maybe 5% more, if that. Gasoline and propane are about 20% more than on the mainland–and they have to be brought over on private barge rather than on the ferry. Logistics don’t explain the difference (except, partly, the inter-island moves mandated by County). It’s efficiency and scale and style of operation.
We need self haul service, but we don’t need “transfer” stations, and we don’t need a tax (“fee”) to support it.
How LONG do we wait for better management?This situation has been festering for years.