Ashe Mountain Times

At the Ashe Sanitary Landfill in Crumpler, waste engineers are building mountains of trash while saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars through recycling efforts.

And, according to Environmental Services Director Scott Hurley, that is owed to increased awareness by the citizenry.

“You have got to give credit to them,” said Hurley. “They are really doing a good job. More people are trying to do the right thing by recycling.”

Last fiscal year the county's general fund was benefited with $212,560 through recycling alone.

Recyclable materials that are diverted from general disposal in a landfill cell has a reciprocal effect. Space not being filled up with waste is beneficial, Hurley explained, because preparing a parcel of land to accept trash is never cheap.

One phase of the landfill's four major sections alone came in at a low bid of $1.6 million.

“In the long run, we are saving money through recycling once you consider the costs of the landfill,” said Hurley.

With the “going green” movement increasing in communities nationwide, Hurley would like to see recycling operations expand in the near future.

It may also help to cut away at the 80 to 90 tons of trash the landfill takes in on a daily basis. That waste, Hurley said, is not likely to decompose during the lifetime of anyone alive today, amplifying an emphasis on recycling programs.

As a nation, for every 243 million tons of trash generated, 82 million tons — 33.8 percent — is composted or recycled, according to the latest statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The number of curbside recycling programs has also increased.

Hurley believes Ashe County's increased recycling is due in part by increased opportunities at the county's six convenience centers.

“All landfills follow the same regulations passed down by the state, but I think our county has better facilities and opportunities available to our citizens,” said Hurley.

Cardboard recycling, for example, is not mandatory by the state, but the county still provides that option. A state ban on throwing plastics in the trash also reduced the rate of waste filling up.

“Other counties don't have tire trailers or the white goods containers that allows for the disposal of refrigerators and stoves,” said Hurley. “Of course I may be a little bias, but I believe Ashe County is above and beyond others.”

Accessibility also plays a part to the growing trend. Hurley said Ashe convenience facilities are open six days a week, 12 hours a day, while other counties in the region are closed two to three days per week.

Other than recycling, disposal officials also work to aid the environment.

Monitoring wells for ground and storm water, as well as for methane, canvass the nearly 400 acres of land at the landfill.

“It's a constant testing process to make sure none of the waste is reaching the water table,” said Hurley.

When the landfill first opened in 1971, there were no laws to regulate the use of liners on cells to protect virgin soil from contaminants.

That, too, has changed, as Hurley said engineers abide by all regulations and have a leachate — the storm water that passes through exposed cells — system to catch runoff water in a large lagoon before recycling it back through landfill.

“That helps to dry out the trash, leads to better compactions, and assists in decomposition,” said Hurley.

A tour of the landfill would not likely resemble the images some may have of facilities that are often portrayed in larger communities.

With the exception of one opened cell, the landfill looks like rolling green hills populated with intermittent strands of dirt.

State law forbids operators from filling in more than one active cell at a time.

Once a cell is completed, it is closed out and covered with dirt before moving on to the next one.

Over time, new cells, or lifts are created and the covered mounds of trash come to resemble surrounding mountains and hillsides, with waste no longer visible.

“In other places, closed out landfills are used to build playgrounds and golf courses,” said Hurley. “We try to keep it clean. I think Ashe County has one of the nicer facilities in the area.”