Garrett County Solid Waste News and Updates

New Hours at Landfill Effective April 15

Regular Saturday Schedule to Resume

April 21, 2012

Effective April 15, the Landfill will be open for haulers and residential users from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. On April 21 until November 15, the Landfill will be open on Saturdays from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., but the scales will close at 2:30 p.m. for commercial haulers and residential users with large loads.

Deadline for 2011 Recycling Reports is March 16, 2012

With the continued support of Garrett County residents and businesses, the Garrett County Department of Solid Waste & Recycling is proud to announce a recycling rate of 45.17% for 2010.  Our Department applauds these efforts!

The Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) states that each of Maryland’s jurisdictions develop and implement recycling programs and report the amount and types of materials recycled annually.  Populations with less than 150,000 are required to recycle 15% of their waste.

It is now time for Garrett County businesses to report their annual recycling efforts to our office for 2011.  All materials being recycled within the county or outside of the county and state are eligible and count towards our MRA rate.  The 2011 recycling report forms are being mailed out now; the completed reports are due on March 16, 2012. (If you are not on the mailing list, please contact the office or download a form at www.garrettcounty.org).

Examples of not-often-thought-of recycled materials are landscaping debris (grass clippings, leaves, brush and branches and mixed yard waste); carpet or cloth remnants; newspapers or catalogs sent back to manufacturers; wood waste to mulch/compost (i.e., canes/crutches; pallets, crates, barrels, wood furniture, wood shavings and sawdust); oil filters; all mixed paper; toner cartridges; camera/film canisters; and all plastics.  Common recyclables include aluminum cans, newspapers, cardboard, magazines, office paper; glass bottles and jars; electronics and mixed metal.

All over Garrett County, businesses have noticed the benefits of recycling by enjoying a reduction in their monthly disposal fees.  If you are not recycling at this time, but are interested in receiving information on how you can save money and help preserve the natural resources in Garrett County, please contact our office immediately at 301 387 0322 or kmadigan@garrettcounty.org.

If you have any questions, require assistance in completing the report, or would like a complete list of MRA approved recyclable materials, please contact Kimberly Madigan at the office or visit http://www.co.garrett.md.us/GeneralServices/SolidWaste/recycleAZ.aspx.

Remember: All Garrett County residents and businesses may use the refuse & recycling sites free-of-charge to recycle their materials.  A current refuse sticker is NOT required.

Landfill Holiday Closures 2012

The Landfill will be closed Monday, May 28, for Memorial Day; Wednesday, July 4, for Independence Day; Monday, September 3, for Labor Day; Thursday, November 22, for Thanksgiving; and Tuesday, December 25, for Christmas.

Accepting Televisions in Electronics Recycling Program

The Solid Waste & Recycling Department is happy to announce the return of televisions to the Electronics Recycling program. Televisions with screens 19 inches or less will be accepted for recycling at the Bumble Bee, Grantsville and Webers refuse & recycling sites.  No televisions with old-style tubes will be accepted.  

Residents and businesses of Garrett County are invited to participate in the Electronics Recycling program free of charge.  Refuse and recycling sites are open Monday – Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.;Saturday 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

The following items will be accepted for recycling at all three refuse & recycling sites: Computers, CPU units; keyboards; monitors; mice and peripherals; hard drives; mainframe computers; modems; printed circuit boards; word processors; radios; remote controls; cell phones; pagers; compact disc players; camcorders; electric typewriters; answering machines; fax machines; copiers; printers; VCR’S; TV’S less than 19" diagonal screen; scanners; calculators; stereo’s; transparency makers; adding machines; laptops; telephones, electronic toys and microwave ovens.

Appliances are not accepted in the Electronics Recycling Program, however may be disposed of at the refuse & recycling sites with a $5 bulk item sticker, with the exception of appliances that had or currently have Freon (i.e. air conditioners, refrigerators, dehumidifiers, etc).  These appliances are accepted for disposal at the Garrett County landfill for a $10 fee.

If you have any questions regarding the Electronics Recycling program, or any of the free recycling programs offered in Garrett County, please contact the office at 301-387-0322 or visit www.garrettcounty.org.

2012 Refuse Site Permits Available

The new 2012 Refuse Permit for household garbage is now available online, at the Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling Division office at the landfill on Oakland-Sang Run Road, and at the Tax Office in the Courthouse in Oakland.  The cost remains $25.00 each permit, and permits will be effective October 1, 2011 until December 31, 2012.

If you have purchased a permit in the past, you may apply online beginning October 1 at https://payments.garrettcounty.org and pay using a credit or debit card.  The sticker(s) will be mailed the next business day.

The applications can be printed from Garrett County Online, Solid Waste Division, and be mailed along with the payments to Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling, 3118 Oakland Sang Run Rd., Oakland, MD  21550. The new stickers began being mailed out October 1.

The satellite collection sites have the applications available for property owners to fill out and mail in or take to the above offices.

Compact Fluorescent Bulb and Lamp Recycling Program

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) are an important tool in the efforts to reduce energy use, which benefits air and water quality and addresses climate change.

CFL bulbs contain up to 5 milligrams of mercury, the amount that would cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, as compared to older home thermostats and mercury fever thermometers, which contain between 500 to 30,000 milligrams of mercury.

The Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling Division urges residents to use care when handling CFLs for disposal by screwing and unscrewing the bulbs by the base.  CFL bulbs and lamps can be currently disposed of in the Garrett County landfill, however they should be recycled after use, if at all possible. 

In an effort to be more environmentally responsible, the Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling Division would like to announce our newest pilot recycling program for fluorescent bulbs, lamps and Non-PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) ballasts.  Non-PCB ballasts can be identified by their label.  If the ballast does not have a “No PCBs” label, it is assumed that the ballast does contain PCB and therefore cannot be accepted in our recycling program.

Fluorescent bulbs, lamps and Non-PCB ballasts may be taken to the landfill location at 3118 Oakland Sang Run Road, Oakland, for recycling.  The hours of operation are 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday.  The following items will be accepted:  compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), U-tubes, 4' lamps, 8' lamps and Non- PCB ballasts.  A refuse sticker is not required to participate in the free recycling programs offered to Garrett County residents.

Garrett County businesses are permitted to bring compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs), fluorescent lamps (only those manufactured with green colored ends) and non-PCB ballasts to the landfill for disposal by paying a commercial waste tipping fee of $35 per ton.

There are independent contractors who accept fluorescent bulbs, lamps and ballasts from commercial sites for recycling.  A list of independent contractors is available at the Garrett County Solid Waste & Recycling Division office or in the recycling directory at www.mdrecycles.org.

Announcement – Acceptance of Bids for Recyclable Materials

Garrett County Solid Waste and Recycling will be accepting bids for the purchase of recycled materials by a deadline date of the seventh (7th) of each month, 4:00 p.m. (local time).  If bids are not received by the seventh (7th) of each month, 4:00 p.m. (local time),or if the seventh (7th) of the month is on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, bids will be accepted no later than the next business day. 

No Citizen Scrap Tire Drop Off Event Planned so far in Fiscal Year 2012 - Alternative Disposal Listed Below

A Citizen Scrap Tire Drop Off Event sponsored by the Maryland Environmental Service, and funded through the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Scrap Tire Fund, has not been made planned yet for fiscal year 2012.  However, the Garrett County Solid Waste and Recycling Department will continue to search for alternative funding to host a scrap tire event.  The public will be notified if such an event can be scheduled in the future.  At this time, we would like to notify the businesses and residents of Garrett County, on several ways to dispose of or recycle unwanted scrap tires.

It is important to dispose of tires at a licensed location such as the Garrett County Landfill, Perry’s Solid Waste & Disposal or at a local Tire Retailer.  These tires are safely collected and stored until being hauled to a disposal or recycling facility.  Each of these locations will accept tires of all sizes with or without a wheel for a disposal fee. 

You can help to reduce scrap tire problems by maintaining tire pressure at proper inflation levels to conserve fuel and extend the life of tires; buying retreaded tires when possible and reporting any illegal dumping of tires to MDE or local authorities.

Illegal dumping of scrap tires is a problem that occurs throughout Garrett County.  These scrap tires can become stockpiles that are unsightly, pose a fire hazard and provide breeding grounds for mosquitoes and vectors.  Illegal scrap tire stockpiles can also be costly to taxpayers and private property owners to clean up. 

For additional information on the proper disposal of tires in Garrett County, please contact Kimberly Madigan, Recycling Coordinator at 301 387 0322.