SEBASTIAN — The Sebastian City Council is concerned that the County’s Solid Waste Disposal District (SWDD) 2014 Master Plan Update includes “closing one or more Customer Convenience Centers.” With only two serving the entire North County area, the Council is against either one being closed/repurposed.
“It would be a tragedy,” said Councilman Richard Gillmor.
The two North County convenience centers are located off Roseland Road, in north Sebastian, and off County Road 512 west of Interstate 95 in Fellsmere.
County Utilities Director Vincent Burke presented the proposed plan to the City Council at its Aug. 27 meeting. In an effort to preserve landfill space and somehow provide incentive for residents to recycle more, SWDD staff has proposed several changes:
Switch from a dual curbside recycling stream to single-stream recycling;
Establish universal collection in unincorporated county or Urban Service Area;
Switch to once-a-week garbage collection;
Close one or more convenience centers, which Burke said are very expensive and inefficient;
Renegotiate joint county-municipal franchise agreements; and
Update interlocal agreements.
Burke and SWDD’s Himanshi Mehta brought a 65-gallon wheeled Toter cart trash/recycling container, one of three sizes (also 35-gallon and 95-gallon) they want the public to consider. The Toter carts would replace the smaller blue recycling bins.
Burke told the Council that one 65-gallon cart has a 51 percent smaller footprint and 29 gallons more capacity than the two18-gallon blue bins.
Burke and Mehta have been taking their solid waste presentation on the road, to all the county municipalities. Fellsmere was the start of the tour on Aug. 21.
The Council intends to study the County’s proposal and will likely have lots of questions.
“We want to be part of the planning,” said Councilwoman Andrea Coy.