WINNEMUCCA — Seeking to address misconceptions about the project, representatives of Recology were at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday (Aug. 10) to take questions and facilitate discussion on the proposed Jungo Rd. landfill.

The landfill would be located 25 miles west of Winnemucca on Jungo Rd. and is still in the permitting process. In addition, different aspects of the project have been challenged in local and federal court by anti-landfill activist.

Jim Endres and Kathleen Conaboy, of McDonald Carano and Wilson, presented information on the proposed landfill. The two have been meeting with small groups of community members to allow participants to ask questions and express concerns.

AUDIENCE QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

An audience member repeated a comment he heard a woman make in which she stated that Recology was just a bunch of crooks. She reportedly walked away without saying why she thought this. Endres replied, “That’s a baseless and inflammatory statement made by people against the landfill.”

He noted in every project there are opponents and proponents but once people learned more about Recology they would discover a company working to be a good corporate neighbor.

As Recology will be hiring approximately 25 local people to work at the site, it may be interesting to note the company is employee owned and has very little turnover. He added they would be good-paying jobs, which would benefit the county, but would also provide an important service because waste management is important to the country.

On a question from the audience Endres gave some background information on host fees. He explained the waste industry traditionally pays a host fee to the county in which a landfill is located. However, the fee is more of a goodwill gesture and is not mandatory.

An audience member also made mention of his observation that Humboldt County’s elected leaders have changed their mind about the landfill, voting first for it then against it, but the change of heart appeared to be political expediency brought on by political pressure.

One audience member, who remembers the uproar over the construction of Cyanco, commented with tongue in cheek that she was surprised anyone was still alive since the people opposed to that project assured community members the cyanide-producing plant would be the death of the community.

CORRECTING MISCONCEPTIONS

The two presenters also took the time to correct some misconceptions about the project.

Endres referenced a picture on an anti-landfill blog that may give some the wrong idea about modern landfills.

He noted the picture makes landfill operations look like chaos, with a huge pile of dumped debris blowing about, but that’s just not how modern landfills operate. Nowadays, he countered, landfills are highly engineered and sophisticated operations.

One of the most interesting aspects of modern waste management is the diversion of materials out of the garbage stream. California law mandates 75 percent of waste be diverted and recycled, which is a huge percentage. For that reason, Endres noted, Recology has long considered themselves more of a recycing company than a landfill company.

The trash being transported by Recology is first taken to a site where it is sorted. Those materials that can be recycled are removed from the waste stream.

The inert materials left over from the sorting process are then transported to the landfill.

Many of the fears people have about landfills, such as odors and the accumulation of rats and coyotes, come from their misunderstanding of modern landfills. Materials that may rot and cause odors or attract vermin, such as rotting food, are removed from the waste during the sorting process.

It’s the asbestos, however, that has been the subject of controversy. Recology has stated no hazardous materials will be transported to the site, but anti-landfill activists have repeatedly pointed to the asbestos as a hazardous material.

As Conaboy pointed out, asbestos is not classified as a hazardous material under Nevada statutes.

Acknowledging asbestos is dangerous when airborne, she said any asbestos coming to the site will be double bagged and sealed. In addition, only a small amount of asbestos will be in the waste transported to the Jungo site.

No untreated medical waste will be transported to the site.

Another community concern is the potential for litter to blow across the desert. However, state statute requires landfill operators to control waste so it doesn’t create blowing debris.

The plan for Jungo is to cover the exposed area every night, to put up litter fences, and to have folks on staff whose job it is to pick up any litter that may blow outside the controlled area.

In addition, operators are going to watch the weather, Conaboy said, and prepare for any wind storms that blow through.

As for concerns about the water table, which would be approximately 60 feet under the proposed landfill, construction would include a sophisticated liner system that combines a double-layer of man-made materials with nature’s liner system: heavy clay.

It was noted the Humboldt County landfill does not utilize a liner system at all as it sits on top of heavy clay.

While NRS statutes require 100 feet between the landfill base and groundwater, the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection may waive that requirement.

Conaboy pointed out the 100 feet requirement wasn’t necessarily based on scientific research; that is, science doesn’t support the idea more than 100 feet to groundwater keeps the groundwater safe or that there is automatically a risk if the distance to groundwater is less than 100 feet.

It’s just the figure outlined in the statutes and water quality can be protected with an engineered liner system that diverts water away from the bottom of the landfill, as is the plan for the proposed landfill on Jungo Rd.