Public comment sought on solid waste

Public Works Director Frank Mulcahy said this week that he anticipates the changeover from a primarily self-hauled system to a primarily roadside pickup to occur in late summer. But before the changeover occurs, the County Council must adopt and the Department of Ecology (DOE) must approve a revised County Solid and Hazardous Waste plan that accommodates the new system.

December 9, 2011 8:01 pm

The process of revising San Juan County’s solid waste plan has continued in the background during the debate and vote on the ballot issue which will force a change in the way the county’s solid waste is handled.

Public Works Director Frank Mulcahy said this week that he anticipates the changeover from a primarily self-hauled system to a primarily roadside pickup to occur in late summer. But before the changeover occurs, the County Council must adopt and the Department of Ecology (DOE) must approve a revised County Solid and Hazardous Waste plan that accommodates the new system.

The project timeline now calls for the plan to be completed for public inspection in early February, adopted by the Council in early May and approved by DOE in mid-July with an opportunity for public review and comment at several points along the way.

The Public Works solid waste team reached a milestone in that process on December 1, when it presented a draft of the first seven chapters of the plan to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee. Those chapters address legal requirements and the County’s solid waste operations: Collection, Transfer, and Disposal of waste.  Another chapter deals with waste reduction and recycling. The remaining three chapters of the plan are scheduled to be completed by February 7, 2012.  These chapters may be added to the preliminary public review draft sooner, as work on each is completed.

The preliminary draft presented to the Solid Waste Committee is now available online at: http://sanjuanco.com/solidwasteplan and at county libraries.

Questions and comments about this preliminary draft should be addressed to Elizabeth Anderson, AICP, Solid Waste Planner at the following: elizabetha@sjcpublicworks.org, 370-0531 or PO Box 729, Friday Harbor, WA 98250.

Anderson notes that she welcomes comments on the preliminary review draft. Formal public comment will be accepted during the review period after the complete draft  is available. The County Council is scheduled to hold its first public workshop on the revisions to the county’s solid waste plan in March.