Gardnerville grapples with green waste

Dealing with green waste is just one of the pieces of the puzzle in determining Gardnerville’s trash service rates over the next three years.

The town doesn’t charge for green waste, but that could change as it works on a rate increase in the coming months.

Gardnerville Town Manager Erik Nilssen laid the groundwork to increase fees next year at the town’s July 2 meeting.

He reported that the town’s health and sanitation fund was in poor financial condition.

He said the fund will lose $66,026 this fiscal year due to an increase in employee and landfill costs.

That’s only slightly less than the $69,325 in the operating reserves.

He said that Gardnerville has the lowest rates of the three providers in Carson Valley. A 10 percent rate increase would be required for the fund to barely break even over the next three years.

Nilssen said he hoped to have a discussion on the new rates before two seats on the board change at the end of the year.

The town has offered collection of green waste since 2000 for free.

Early on, the town took its green waste to Bently Ranch where it was composted or to the Carson City Landfill where it would be used as a cap layer.

In 2015, Bently stopped taking the material, consisting of grass clippings, bushes and small tree branches, and the landfill is charging the same amount for it as for solid waste.

“At this time there is zero cost savings to the town to offer green waste,” Nilssen said.

Over nine months in 2023, the town collected 532 tons of green waste from its 1,527 accounts, which cost $40,000 to dispose of, not counting fuel, staff time and the truck.

Nilssen calculated that $4 a month per can would allow the town to pay for the program.

In an effort to find a way to handle green waste, Nilssen met with Full Circle Compost.

Full Circle accepts clean green waste at $40 per ton or contaminated green waste at $75 per ton, so clean loads can be a significant cost savings to residents.

Acceptable compostable materials include any vegetative matter resulting from normal yard and landscaping maintenance that is not more than 3 feet in its longest dimension or 6 inches in diameter. Yard waste includes plant debris such as grass clippings, leaves, pruning, weeds, branches, brush, garden waste, and other forms of vegetative waste.

However, the first four loads delivered to Full Circle Compost all exceeded the 25-gallon contamination limit and triggered the higher rates.

“From an environmental and economic standpoint, we would love to continue the Town’s green-waste program” Nilssen said.

Nilssen is also exploring other options to reduce the increase in trash rates, including increasing the cost for a second tote and ending the minimal user category.

Minden increased its trash rates effective July 1. The towns have their own trash service. The rest of East Fork Township is served by Douglas Disposal, which was approved for a rate increase.