Billing trash talk

The Upper Platte River Solid Waste Disposal District (UPRSWDD) held their first meeting of the year in Riverside on January 6.

The meeting began with site reports and talk of grinding instead of burning trash.

It was determined that the issues with burning and the cost involved made grinding the better option, but they will get a burn permit as a backup.  

In billing reports, the gate fee was brought up in regards to the monthly rate. It was stated that it is $25 a month compared to $50 a trip. Ellie Dana Raymer brought up the possibility of no longer allowing the people who do not have an account to do recycling, since it is slightly more costly. However, after discussion, the board decided to leave it as-is, since it is better to incentivize people to give it to recycling rather than putting it in waste.

Next on the agenda was discussion of the increase in billing to the Town of Saratoga. The amount of waste coming from the town had reportedly increased, most notably in the cases of Veterans Island and the Hot Springs. The amount of waste coming from these areas has been an ongoing issue. Chairman Randy Raymer stated he had made an agreement with Jon Winter to reduce the amount of waste in return for a lower rate. According to Raymer there was no follow through from the Town. After numerous attempts from Raymer to resolve the issue, he directed the billing office to increase the rate.

Joshua Wood stated Winter had contacted him about being charged the maximum fee. According to Wood, Winter believed it was not equitable and they were not producing that amount of trash. Discussion then ensued about how the district charged based on bin size, focused on capacity rather than the amount of trash. Furthermore, it is not only the amount, but the types of garbage being produced.

It was noted by Raymer that the waste is clearly not from people using the park. He said he had seen tires and old televisions sitting in the dumpsters near Veteran’s Island. Dana-Raymer also stated the town was not being charged the maximum, and could be charged more. Wood stated that the burden was on the Department of Public Works to prove they are producing as little trash as they say they are.  

“It is entirely within their power to change this,” Raymer stated. The high price will remain until the town makes an effort to reduce the waste.  

Discussion of a lower commercial rate for some locations was brought up by Sue Jones. A possible workshop for redoing the rate schedule was determined to be the solution.  

Continuing with billing, it was stated the past due has dropped by about $2,000. The district is still having issues with the tenant-landlord relationship, and Wood stated that tenants need to speak to their landlords to resolve these issues. The district can be contacted if there are issues. Dana Raymer stated there are 36 delinquent accounts, and that it is possible for the district to report to a credit agency for failure to pay.  

The next UPRSWDD meeting will be at 7 p.m. on February 3 at the Platte Valley Community Center.