Long Lines At Landfills As Residents Wait to Dump Windstorm Debris

HYRUM, Utah – Piles of debris were adding up at landfills across the Wasatch Front as trucks and trailers full of green waste continued cleanup efforts from Tuesday’s windstorm.

It’s a big enough issue that some landfills are expanding what they can do — including overtime — to get everything processed.

Landfill managers anticipated some busy days ahead and prepared for more lines before the weekend hits.

Nathan Rich, executive director of the Davis County Landfill, said he has been through it before.

“You know in 2011, we got about 20,000 tons additional came to us over a short period of time,” he said.

He was hopeful having a few more days before the weekend this time around could spread out the demand, rather than seemingly bringing it all at once.

“We’ve staffed up. We’ve got a lot of temporary folks on the ground, directing traffic,” he said.

Many workers, especially at the scale house, will be putting in some overtime to help people like Steve Peterson, who was working with a crew of neighborhood helpers.

They planned on taking several loads to the landfill over the next several days.

“We do, we probably got at least a week, a solid week,” he said.

A lot of people at the Davis County Landfill said they are in that same boat, working to clear their own yards and maybe a few more.

“We’re going to do a neighborhood thing tonight at five and help others,” said Grant Whitesides. “That’s why I’ve got to get mine done today,” he added with a laugh.

The landfill will accept green waste for free over the next two weeks for residents of Davis and Morgan counties.

The green waste site in Ogden is always free and the service is expanding temporarily to residents of neighboring cities too.

Rich offered advice to people who are planning to haul their waste.

“Take your time and make sure you’re tarping your loads. There’s already a lot of debris on the ground, and there’s no reason to add to that,” he said.

Green waste will also be free for the next few weeks in Salt Lake County.

The fee will not be waived for grass clippings or regular junk removal. Large contractors and commercial haulers will be charged normal rates. For more information, contact the Salt Lake Valley Landfill at 385-468-6370.

— Salt Lake County (@SLCoGov) September 9, 2020

Other counties and cities were offering similar services.