Foothills residents tossing their garbage at the landfill this fall likely won’t encounter long line-ups.
The landfill will be open longer on weekdays to ease long line ups on Saturdays, adding two hours on Monday through Thursday from Sept. 8 to Oct. 15.
The site will now be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. It will be open regular hours Fridays and Saturdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“We’re trying to solve the issue of having 700-car days on Saturdays during peak times,” said landfill manager Joe Angevine. “We’ve had cars lined up to the bin area sometimes.”
Angevine said the facility ran the same extended hours in May and June to accommodate increased traffic when people are during spring yard work.
During that time, 550 people visited the landfill during its extended hours and the number of residential vehicles that passed through on Saturdays was reduced by as much as 150 cars, he said.
Angevine intends to continue running extended hours each year during fall and spring clean-up seasons to give people more time to drop off extra garbage at those times of year.
“It’s worthwhile because everyone wants to come out on Saturday with their clean-up products and this gives them a better option,” said Angevine. “We went from an average of 700 cars on a Saturday to having our busiest weekend count at 580.”
Wait times have been significantly reduced for customers on weekends by providing an option for people to bring their loads to the landfill after work, he said.
Yard waste is accepted at the landfill, though residents will be charged $70 per tonne for branches, as they have to be chipped and recycled. There is no fee for grass clippings or leaves.
The green chip produced from recycled branches is sold for landscaping or added to the compost sold at the landfill. Landscaping chips are sold for $40 per tonne and compost can be purchased for $25 per tonne.
For more information about the Foothills Regional Landfill, visit www.mdfoothills.com
