News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Nearly all county employees will keep their jobs as Waste Management steps in to run the White County Landfill.
White County Executive Denny Wayne Robinson said he has been in frequent contact with employees to dispel rumors about their job security. He said the county will still operate its convenience centers and still transport garbage to the landfill, so those workers are still needed. He said the county may lose an equipment operator or two, but they will be offered positions by Waste Management or moved to another county position, depending on their preference.
“The county is no different than any other industry in the Upper Cumberland,” Robinson said. “We have trouble finding employees too, so nobody will have to lose their job, but if somebody wants to go to this other company that’s coming in, that will be offered to them.”
Robinson said residents will be able to continue to dispose of household garbage free of charge. He said residents could be charged to dispose of some bigger items, like large debris from a remodeling project, for instance.
“There’s going to be a transition a little bit,” Robinson said. “Because the way that solid waste is monitored now by the state and the EPA, we’ve got to do a better job, locally, of separating what we throw away and making sure we’ve got it in the right place, the right bins. That’s probably going to be monitored more strictly, enforced more strictly than it is now, so there’ll be a little learning curve there.”
For Sparta residents, clarity is on the way, Robinson said. He said in the past, the county took Sparta’s trash for free, while Sparta took the county landfill’s liquid discharge into its sewer for free. He said he expects a similar agreement to be worked out.
Robinson said he is relieved to have this process nearing its end. Robinson said he expects Waste Management to more closely monitor the landfill’s adherence to state regulations upon taking over.
“It has been years in the works, yes,” Robinson said. “It’s a big relief and this is an immediate, immediate $10 million savings to the county. You know, we are no longer liable for the $10 million to close and monitor that landfill for the next 30 years.”
