CONTINUING COVERAGE
The Dayton Daily News watches spending in Montgomery County government and covers issues that affect county residents.
Shuttering the northern waste transfer station has saved Montgomery County Environmental Services about $1.3 million in annual operating costs, which is 30 percent higher than earlier projections.
The county consolidated waste disposal and recycling operations into its southern transfer facility in Moraine in late 2014.
The county decided to shut the northern facility in Vandalia because it was being used less frequently and needed $8 million or more in environmental upgrades to remain viable.
“The financial and operational benefits have greatly exceeded our expectations,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Judy Dodge.
The county’s incinerator facilities — built in the late 1960s — were converted into transfer stations in the 1990s to transport waste to landfills. The county spent about $17 million to upgrade the south facility at 1001 Encrete Lane in 2006 to add scales, a public tipping floor and recycling area.
More recently, the county spent about $3 million on capital improvements to the station in Moraine so it could efficiently and effectively handle the increased volumes and usage with the closure of the Vandalia facility.
The upgrades have ensured that traffic flows in and out of the facility smoothly, said Bob Downing, assistant director of Environmental Services.
Traffic at the remaining facility has increased by 30 percent since the closure of the Vandalia station, but the average amount of time it takes customers to enter and leave the facility is about 11.3 minutes, which is below the solid waste district’s goal of 14 minutes, officials said.
Through consolidation, the county has been able to enhance services and offer free yard-waste disposal to its residents, and the transfer station is a one-stop shop for recycling and disposal of compost yard waste and hazardous items that would otherwise head to the landfill, official said.
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