Dec. 23, 2010

OSWEGO COUNTY - The Oswego County Department of Solid Waste will see an increase in tipping and user fees as part of the county's Local Solid Waste Management Plan.

The following changes will take effect in January:

• Residential Household Tipping Fee Sticker: $135 annual sticker. Stickers expire on December 31 each year. The residential sticker allows people to dispose of household trash and recyclables at any of the county's five transfer stations.
  
  
• Punch Cards: $32 each card. Each card allows the user to dispose of 20 kitchen-sized 13-gallon trash bags at any of the county's five transfer stations. Card holders can bring in their recyclables at no charge.
  
  
• Weighed Tipping Fee: $85 per ton at the transfer stations. $54 per ton if delivered to the Energy Recovery Facility in Fulton or to the Bristol Hill Landfill in Volney by permitted haulers.
  
  
• Televisions and Microwaves: $5 per unit. This fee remains unchanged from its implementation in April 2010.

The fee schedule over the next five years includes the following annual increases: $10 for residential solid waste stickers, $2 for punch cards, and $5 for waste tipping fees at the transfer stations.

"The Local Solid Waste Management Plan highlights the county's successful initiatives such as waste reduction, residential recycling, household hazardous waste, electronics recycling, ferrous recovery and energy recovery," said Legislator Fred Beardsley, District 9; chairman of the Oswego County Legislature's Infrastructure and Facilities Committee. "It also emphasizes the county's commitment toward making the Department of Solid Waste self-sufficient."

For more than 30 years, the county has worked to develop and implement a comprehensive structure of solid waste facilities and programs aimed at reducing waste and recycling materials.

"This integrated system is a strong foundation for our waste management plan and includes: reuse and reduction, organics composting, construction and demolition debris processing, Household Hazardous Waste Facility, Energy Recovery Facility, and Materials Recovery Facility," said Frank Visser, director of the Oswego County Solid Waste Department. "It provides convenient, cost-effective services which provide the highest level of environmental management and protection."

Tipping fees cover the cost of disposing of trash as well as the collection of household hazardous waste, residential waste oil, electronics, textiles and recyclables.

Residents buying a solid waste sticker or punch card need to show proof of Oswego County residency and have their vehicle and vehicle registration with them at the time of purchase. Business vehicles and vehicles that do not have the purchaser's household address on the vehicle registration will not be issued residential stickers.

There are five transfer stations located throughout the county.

• Bristol Hill Transfer Station: 3125 state Route 3, Volney
• Hannibal Transfer Station: 1167 county Route 7, Hannibal
• Hastings Transfer Station: 1391 U.S. Route 11, Hastings
• Oswego Transfer Station: 700 East Seneca Street, Oswego
• Pulaski Transfer Station: 100 county Route 2A, Pulaski

All county transfer stations and recycling drop-off centers are open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday. Weigh scales and sticker and punch card sales close 30 minutes earlier.

The Oswego County Legislature's Infrastructure and Facilities Committee oversees the Department of Solid Waste. In addition to Legislator Beardsley, the committee includes Vice-Chairman James Oldenburg, District 14; and Legislators Barbara Brown, District 8; Daniel Chalifoux, District 19; Linda Lockwood, District 11; Milferd Potter, District 2; and Amy Tresidder, District 16.

For more information about fees or solid waste programs, call the Oswego County Department of Solid Waste weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at 315/591-9200 or visit their Web site at: www.oswegocounty.com/dsw.shtm.