BROOKINGS — Last weekend’s blizzard in and around Brookings was a gusty affair, one that sent freshly fallen snow airborne once more — and with it, trash from the Brookings Regional Landfill.
The garbage ended up on nearby properties, fence lines and shelterbelts, and it’s something Solid Waste Manager Charlie Kuhn said the city would take responsibility for.
“Cleanup of wind-blown trash is the sole responsibility of the Solid Waste Division,” he told The Brookings Register. “We will send crews out as soon as the weather permits to get the surrounding fields cleaned up. We do this throughout the winter as much as we can; in the spring, summer and fall, crews are out at least weekly to maintain ditches and fields.”
The landfill, which serves a multitude of communities and counties in the area, has multiple defenses designed to prevent trash from exiting the premises, but those defenses aren’t foolproof.
“High-wind events at the landfill, to which there are quite a few, can create some operational challenges,” Kuhn said. “While the option to shut down the landfill is available to us, we have yet to go this route. There are several steps we take to minimize how much wind-blown trash escapes the working face.”
He said the landfill’s best option focuses on keeping the active area as small as possible and properly utilize portable wind fences. Such fences are placed around the active filling area to help contain the windblown material. After that, the next option involves moving the working face to an area on the hill that has a little more protection from the wind, while also still using the wind fences.
Regarding the fences, the landfill is serious about them, maintaining multiple layers.
“We have three layers of fencing and a shelter belt that surrounds the property,” Kuhn explained. “The first layer of fencing are the portable fences I mentioned above; the second layer is permanent fencing around the border of the actual landfill; and then the third layer is permanent fencing around the perimeter of the property, just inside of the shelterbelt.”
The equation isn’t just about fences, though: No, the landfill utilizes other techniques to help keep the trash where it’s supposed to be.
“On a daily basis, the trash that was just placed that day gets covered in a spray-on material that looks similar to a hydro-seed mulch. This material is specifically designed for landfill applications and is made with a binding agent that is used to keep garbage in place,” Kuhn said.
As good as it is, the spray-on material, just like the fences, has chinks in its armor, so to speak. For instance, it might not work properly if it was applied too light and, subsequently, the wind grew stronger — such as in last weekend’s blizzard conditions.
That said, Kuhn noted that, “A large majority of our wind-blown issues don’t come over night, but during normal operating hours when all the trash is exposed. When an area is to a final grade or at a point that we won’t be back to that section for a while, then 8-10 inches of clay is placed over the garbage.”
In closing, he added that volunteers who lend a hand can help raise money for any groups they represent.
“We also work with local volunteer groups to help clean up the trash throughout the year,” Kuhn said. “Groups can come to the (landfill), clean up trash for a period of four hours, and based on the size of the group that comes out, we will make a cash donation to that group.
“We are always looking for more groups to take advantage of this program,” he finished.
For folks interested in volunteering, reach out to the city via its website at https://tinyurl.com/2mz3b33h.
— Contact Mondell Keck at [email protected].
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