New compactor minimizes costs amid trash services price hike

Island County recently introduced a new trash compactor to the Coupeville Transfer Station that would crush more trash into denser bails.

On top of decreasing carbon emissions, the shiny new piece of equipment will also help reduce transportation-related expenses in light of a significant increase in the cost of transportation and disposal services.

About two weeks ago, Deception Pass bridge was temporarily closed to traffic to clear the way for a truck transporting a 75-foot-long SSI 2500 SPH trash compactor, according to Solid Waste Division Manager Jeff Hegedus.

The price tag for the new state-of-the-art and computer controlled compactor was $2.1 million, which Hegedus said is a good price and what King County, which tends to get good deals, also got. To purchase the compactor, the county put a down payment of $700,000 from the solid waste enterprise fund and took out a five-year $1.6 million loan from the public works department road shop, he said.

The new compactor, which is longer and has a larger plunger and chamber, arrived about two months after the old one was shipped off the island to get recycled, Hegedus said. The old compactor was 30 years old, and though it was swapped before it failed, it was well past its 20 year life expectancy, he said.

During that time frame, crews worked “extra hard” to load and smash solid waste into open top containers that would then be transported to Burlington, where a train would then transport it to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill in Klickitat County.

Though not as efficient, this allowed the flow of trash out of the island to continue uninterrupted, preventing a public and environmental emergency scenario, Hegedus said.

The new machine is capable of compacting 30 tons of trash in each of three bails, while its old counterpart would compact about 22 to 24 tons, Hegedus said. The hope is to eventually be able to squish the same amount into two bails. By doing this, the county could save one third of $1 million every year, he said.

During a board of commissioners meeting on Wednesday, Island County Public Works recommended that the county enter into contract negotiations with a private company, Regional Disposal Company-DBA Republic Services, which currently provides trash long haul and disposal services under a contract that is set to expire at the end of 2024, according to information provided in the meeting agenda.

Out of two candidates, Republic Services offered the lowest price, according to the agenda. The company’s proposed costs represent a 36.6% increase over current expenditures, despite the fact the county has seen a 2% drop in yearly trash tonnage for the third year in a row.

In 2023, the Coupeville Transfer Station and the Camano Island Transfer station received a total of 58,210 tons of solid waste, according to the request for proposals.

Currently, for Whidbey, the county spends $27.38 per ton of solid waste. On top of that, the county spends $1,344 for each container that is shipped to the landfill, according to Hegedus. The more tons in the container, the more money is saved, which is when the compactor helps.

Under the proposed contract, the county would spend $43.30 per ton of trash, and transporting each container to the landfill would cost $1,645, Hegedus said.

Hegedus said the higher price is a result of a multitude of factors, including new environmental standards and inflation.

The five-year contract can be renewed for up to two six-year extensions, Hegedus said.