Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 26, 1995 TAG: 9504260081
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ELLETT LENGTH: Medium
Residents say they are inundated by overflowing trash from unmanaged green boxes. County officials say the boxes, which are for trash from county residents only, are often used by businesses, contractors and out-of-county residents.
There is a "tremendous trash problem" in Ellett Valley, said J.W. McGuire, director of public relations and past president of the valley's Ruritan Club. The club asked the Board of Supervisors for a manned trash center because "Our aim is the preservation of this valley. We love it ... and we'd like to keep it as it is."
The center, which will accommodate virtually all types of trash and recyclables, is scheduled to open in late May, said Dawn French, the county's recycling coordinator. It will be open during daylight hours on weekdays and from 8 a.m to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays. At other times, the fenced-in center will be locked to prevent unauthorized use and visits by foraging animals.
Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, who attended Monday's meeting, said the center could save money in the long run because the county's green-box system is so extensively used. About 30 residents attended the meeting.
French said the center, and others on the drawing board, will save money because they will cut down on the expense of operating trash trucks, on illegal dumping, and on the amount of trash that is taken to the landfill.
The Ellett Valley center, to be near the convenience store at Lusters Gate Road and Den Hill Road, will be similar to the trash and recycling center on Prices Fork Road that has been open for about 18 months.
"They say over at Prices Fork you can sit down in the middle of it and eat your dinner. We want ours the same way," McGuire said.
French said the new center will have an attendant on hand during its operating hours who will help users with their trash and recyclables and keep the site tidy.
Similar centers are to open on Christiansburg Mountain and in Elliston by July 1, French said. Four more sites are to be chosen. Some of the green boxes will be removed as the centers open. The Ellett Valley center will replace three heavily used green boxes on Den Hill Road.
French said the Ellett Valley center will cost about $50,000 and the others less than that, because the Ellett center will require drainage and grading work.
McGuire said he polled valley residents, and almost all of them favored the new center.
by CNB