Thurston County solid-waste staff reported at the April 3 meeting that the Waste and Recovery Center was closed to public self-haul vehicles for two days while crews repaired a failed compactor and related equipment. Jeff [last name not specified], the county solid-waste manager, said the compactor had been down nearly two weeks and that a top-loading excavator also failed, which left the facility unable to move material without compacting equipment.

The county limited access Tuesday and Wednesday to commercial en-route haulers (City of Olympia and LeMay) so those haulers could continue service while the county worked to catch up inside the building. Jeff said organics, hazardous-waste and recycling were not affected. The county notified the public via social media and its website, and staff at the facility turned away some self-haul customers while repairs were completed; staff reported the compactor repair technician and parts were expected to arrive the day of the meeting.

Committee members asked about contingency arrangements for emergency diversions; Jeff said the county has, in prior events, routed some waste to neighboring transfer stations (Grays Harbor, Lewis County) and that Pierce County facilities have been used in limited situations but are costlier (staff cited a per-ton rate of about $173 for Pierce County). Jeff emphasized the county’s priority was to continue service for on-route commercial haulers because they must maintain collection routes.

Staff asked committee members to note operational constraints when considering rate and capital decisions, and offered facility tours to committee members who want to see operations and equipment in person.