New unsorted fee proposed at hatch pit

A new unsorted fee is being proposed for the Bonneville County hatch pit, which consists of construction and demolition waste.

There are different fees for vehicles from Bonneville County and those not from the county. The current fee for an in-county pickup truck and trailer that is 8 feet long or less is $5. With the new fee proposal, if waste is not sorted when it is taken to the hatch pit site, it will cost $30. The current fee for vehicles from outside the county is $15. The new unsorted fee for them would be $90. In-county six-wheeler trucks and trailers longer than 8 feet will have to pay $90 for unsorted waste. The unsorted fee for vehicles from outside the county would be $125. In-county 10-wheelers will have to pay a $150 unsorted fee while out of-county will have to pay $450. In-county semis will have a $300 unsorted fee while out-of county semis will have to pay $200 per ton.

The Bonneville County Public Works Department says the proposed new fee will lengthen the life of the hatch pit and promote recycling.

“We’re removing those items that are easily recyclable from the waste stream,” said Lance Bates, Bonneville County Public Works Director. “And that way it can go to lengthen out the time that we have the hatch pit.”

The items that should be sorted are wood, cardboard; metal; municipal waste, such as plastic, paper and household items; and inert waste, such as concrete, rock and brick. The county says those municipal items shouldn’t even be at the hatch pit.

“We can’t have municipal solid waste there,” Bates said. “That has to be out of the stream and that will be removed from that site and taken up to Peterson Landfill. But the others, you can easily recycle those things.”

Those who want to avoid the unsorted fee and continue paying the fee they do now can just separate the waste.

“They can sort their own waste. They can bring it in to the hatch pit as a separated-out process,” Bates said. “Or they may be able to come down and sort it out there and avoid the new fee.”

There is also a proposal to increase the out-of-county waste fee at the transfer station from $40 to $45. There will be a public hearing on April 2 for both fee issues.