The Starkville Sanitation and Environmental Services Department is expected to reopen the city- and county-operated rubbish landfill today after a new operating permit was approved by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Mayor Parker Wiseman and Sanitation Director Emma Gandy both confirmed MDEQ’s recent green light to continue operations after the city self-reported instances of rubbish intruding beyond established boundaries last year.
Since receiving the new operating permit, Wiseman said the city had those boundaries surveyed again and clearly delineated to ensure the city remains in MDEQ compliance.
Additionally, the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors recently allowed road crews to improve a thoroughfare with gravel and grading efforts that will provide greater access to landfill cells.
The landfill, located near the intersection of Rockhill and Butler roads, accepts household rubbish — waste materials from the operation of a home that is not regular garbage — rubbish resulting from home construction efforts and biodegradable materials, like wood cuttings.
It operates with a $21 fee per ton, with a minimum $5 for drop-offs weighing less than a ton, Gandy said.
Wiseman also confirmed the city originally aimed for a Monday re-opening, but weather conditions delayed the effort.
“We are glad to have the issue resolved. It has been difficult for both the city and the general public not having access to the rubbish landfill in the recent weeks, and this should allow landfill activities to resume in an ordinary fashion,” he said. “The road improvements are ongoing. The weather has delayed those a little bit, but as of right now we can begin accepting rubbish. We’re only about a day’s work away from the road improvements being complete.”
Gandy did not have an exact timetable of how long the landfill has been closed but did say her department had been seeking new permits since at least January. In September, the facility temporarily closed ahead of expansion plans as the city aimed to open a new cell while another approached maximum capacity.
The process yielding MDEQ’s OK took longer than expected, she said.
“I am excited to know our landfill is open for business so that our citizens will have the opportunity to commence using it as quickly as possible. Hopefully, it will continue to remain open at all times without any future closures so it will always be available to our citizens,” said Ward 6 Alderman Roy A. Perkins. “The landfill should have never been closed. It was a terrible and gross mistake, and that’s why I stayed on the director to keep it open. It’s a very high priority.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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