
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, September 9, 1993                   TAG: 9309090189
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: STEVE KARK CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: PEARISBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

SUPERVISORS OK TRASH CONTRACT; MANY NOW TO PAY COLLECTION FEE

The Giles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday night to sign a refuse contract with General Refuse Services of Mercer County, W.Va., meaning many of the county's rural residents will be paying a collection fee for the first time.

The supervisors' vote came after an executive session, and details of the contract have not yet been worked out, supervisor Larry "Jay" Williams said.

Two of its likely provisions are that some of the green boxes now used for trash will remain in the county, at sites yet to be chosen, and that towns will be free to provide their own collection services if they choose.

Other possible terms would cover General Refuse Services' hiring of people now employed by Giles for trash disposal, and the continued use of some Giles County garbage equipment.

The contract would be on a nine-month trial basis, and probably will go into effect soon because the Giles County landfill is due to close Oct. 9.

General Refuse has proposed countywide door-to-door trash pickup, with disposal at a West Virginia landfill.

The monthly rate for residents has not been determined, but figures in the $12 to $14 range have been mentioned. The rate could be adjusted after nine months if the trash volume proves less than expected, because some supervisors think trash from outside the county is being left in the green boxes.

Williams, who served with Supervisor George Hedrick as the supervisors' solid waste committee, said the contract probably will allow Pearisburg, Narrows and Glen Lyn to provide their own trash collection.

Those three towns have endorsed an engineering consultant's report, which they paid for, that says it would be cheaper if the towns keep their disposal operations.

Williams had said after earlier meetings of the supervisors that trash-disposal costs are certain to go up no matter what trash-disposal option the supervisors chose, because of tighter state and federal rules for landfills.

"No matter what we do from now on, it's going to cost us at least a million a year," he said. "That's the reality. There's nothing we can do about it."

by CNB