The city’s three recycling centers are being inundated with large volumes of illegal dumping ranging from nonresidential volumes of oil, hazardous materials (including hydrochloric acid), furniture, construction debris and more. This is costing the city a lot of money in both staff time and disposal costs. Council has scheduled a March 13 worksession to begin discussing these matters.
Environmental Coordinator Kevin Carpenter-Driscoll told council at its January 22 regular meeting that these costs include an estimated $36,000 in staff time, $10,000 to $20,000 in hazardous waste disposal fees, $3,000 in environmental recovery fees and $15,000 to $30,000 in tub grinder services. (Municipalities cannot use the free hazardous waste disposal facility operated by the county.) Carpenter-Driscoll presented the options developed by Public Works staff to address these problems. All options include installing security cameras to discourage dumping. There were no actions requested at this time, just council direction.
Northway Yard Waste and Mulch Pile
This site was intended for city use and use by registered residents who obtain approval to deposit yard debris on the mulch pile. Carpenter-Driscoll said that illegal dumping by contractors is a major factor in the problems at this site. They dump construction debris and concrete/asphalt waste. Most of the dumping occurs overnight and on weekends, he said.
Carpenter-Driscoll outlined three options for this site: 1) Eliminate the dumpsite and have city staff transfer its waste to the Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility. This would increase staff costs. 2) Install a gate and restrict access to city staff and permit holders. 3) Continue with the current setup and budget for the extra costs.
For option two, staff proposes that the gate be placed close to Northway’s intersection with Ridge Road. The gate would be open during normal business hours and closed overnight and weekends.
Several councilmembers expressed objections to the proposed gate location. They described the area as a city park including ballfields and the City Observatory. Plus, the area is used by other residents for impromptu or unscheduled activities, such as walking.
Councilmember Rodney Roberts strongly supported the first option stating that both the millings pile and the mulch pile are contaminating streams in the area. Mayor Emmett Jordan said the gate should be located much further in on Northway so as not to restrict so many resident activities. Carpenter-Driscoll countered that staff was concerned that with a gate that far back on the property, contractors would simply dump their waste in front of the gate.
Greenbelt East Residential Recycling Center
This site is located off Hanover Parkway across from the dog park. The illegal dumping in this area is more residential than at the Northway site, with a lot of furniture and heavy bulk materials. While the city installed trash containers for non-recyclables, the site continues to see trash deposited into the recycling containers.
The options identified by staff were to eliminate the site or install perimeter fencing and enforce hours of operation.
Buddy Attick Recycling Center
Located outside the Public Works yard adjacent to Buddy Attick Park, this site collects the broadest range of materials including used oil, bulk recycling, food scraps, oyster shells, textiles and regular trash. Except for the used oil collection, staff identified just one option, fencing off the area to restrict use during non-business hours.
Staff also proposed that collection of used motor oil be moved inside the existing public works compound next to the salt bays. Residents could register to gain access to the site during off hours and any resident could deposit oil during Public Works normal business hours when the gate is open. This was the one proposal to which council gave staff direction, indicating support for creating a new used oil collection center inside the yard.
Enforcement
Terri Hruby, director of Planning and Community Development, was asked how illegal dumping incidents caught on camera would be handled. She said that Public Works would provide vehicle information to Code Enforcement staff, who would work with police to identify the vehicle owner and issue a citation.
The remaining proposals were deferred until they could be discussed further in a worksession.
