When two freight trains collided and derailed last week in McPherson County, the Barton County Landfill was ready to accept whatever the cleanup crew brought, Solid Waste Manager Phil Hathcock said.
“We got 55 gallon drums of honey,” he said. “It was a sticky situation.”
People don’t usually give much thought to what happens to their trash, so they probably don’t realize what goes on at the Barton County Landfill.
“It’s a highly regulated and scientific place,” the new landfill manager said Wednesday, speaking at a Great Bend Noon Kiwanis meeting.
Back in the day, trash went to a “dump,” where it was exposed to the elements. Rainwater would percolate through the waste, gathering contaminants before it seeped into the ground. All that was destined to change with the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976. Today, the Barton County Landfill is regulated by the state to ensure that it complies with the federal act.
The landfill, located north of Great Bend, is divided into designated areas called cells, which are lined with plastic over a layer of clay. The cell now being filled covers 8.3 acres and is expected to last another 9.5 years. “As we dig dirt to cover trash (in the cell), we’re excavating for the next cell,” Hathcock said. The cells are slanted and eventually rainwater pools at one end. This water – called leachate – is pumped into an evaporation pond. Samples are taken every six months from 18 monitoring wells and checked for contamination.
Each week the trash is covered with at least 6 inches of soil. When a cell is closed, it is covered with another 3 feet of soil and seeded, to be maintained by the county forever.
Maintaining the landfill is expensive – opening a cell costs $1.3 million – but the Barton County Landfill operates with no county tax dollars. Revenue from fees covers the expenses. Residents in Barton, Pawnee and the south half of Ellsworth County pay by the ton, with a minimum $10 fee, except for free services.
People have asked Hathcock to start a recycling service, but that’s an expensive undertaking, he said. However, the landfill recycles oil and metal, and will soon recycle tires which will go to Blizzard Energy Inc. Mattresses are also recycled; they go to the Hutchinson Correctional Facility where the metal is sold, scraps of wood are used to make lawn furniture and the bedding material is turned into dog beds.
Electronic waste, such as batteries, televisions and computer monitors, is recycled by Rice County, which has an agreement with Barton County. However, old tube-style televisions aren’t accepted.
Household hazardous waste is also accepted from April through October. Individuals from the landfill’s service area may use this free service. This includes items such as household cleaning products, paint and finishing products, automotive fluids and batteries, and garden/pest control products.
The October household hazardous waste collection will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 18. There will also be a collection from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Larned city building on the bypass. And people may bring items to the Barton County Landfill at other times this month, by appointment. Call 620-793-1898 or email solidwaste@bartoncounty.org.
Learn more about household hazardous waste, e-waste and other types of disposal on the Barton County website. Under “departments,” go to “Solid Waste.”