Clay Co Plans To Use Solid Waste Grant On Trash Compactor

The Clay County Solid Waste Department a step closer to installing trash compactors at its convenience centers.

Mayor Dale Reagan said the county received a $50,000 grant that will be used to purchase and install the gear.

“We’ve got about five different locations across the county that we call the green box sites,” Reagan said. “What we are trying to do is convert those over and get away from the green boxes and go to compactors. With this grant, we will be able to do one of those sites.”

Reagan said the county wants to switch to save more money. Reagan said the compactors will allow for more trash to be stored and reduce landfill runs. As for the four other sites, Reagan said the county plans to complete the transition by using its federal COVID money.

“It will be a tremendous savings for us, because green boxes are in the weather and front-loader trucks have to service those,” Reagan said. “Most of the time household garbage are in those, and if it is a rainy season, the water gets in there. When you go to the landfill, you carry a whole lot of water. Most of the sites we run twice a week, but with this compactor, we may not have to service it as much.”

Reagan said he would like to see at least one compactor installed by the end of the fiscal year.