Tanner Kennedy deposits brush material into one of the bins Tuesday at the Overlook Collection Center. Photo by Kirsten Laskey/ladailypost.com
The Overlook Collection Center looked immaculate this week. No paint cans, fluorescent bulbs or containers of chemicals littered the ground. The roll off metal bins were not overflowing with material. The Los Alamos County Environmental Services Division is working to ensure the collection center stays that way.
Office Specialist Tiffany Pegoda said a pilot program is kicking off in which an attendant is stationed at the center to ensure the right material is delivered to the collection center and that people utilizing the collection center sign in on a log sheet posted by the entrance.
Pegoda emphasized that the collection center is just for small residential loads and that only White Rock residents should use the center. The center can accept brush, glass, metal, mixed recycling, cardboard and trash but other items such as paint, light bulbs, electronics, tires and household hazardous waste need to be taken to the Eco Station on East Jemez Road in Los Alamos.
She also noted that contractors bringing in brush or bulk should deliver their loads to the Eco Station.
The problem with leaving piles of materials on the ground or next to the bins is that it requires a group of operators to make multiple trips to deliver all the loads to Los Alamos.
“If a bin is full, do not pile (material) next to the bin; take it to the Eco Station or wait until the next day,” Pegoda said.
Signing into the collection center also is important. Pegoda said the log sheet “is all for tracking purposes.” She explained the Environmental Services Division keeps track of who is using their 12 free loads a year and who isn’t. The log sheet also helps to dissuade contractors from using the collection center.
“Residents should always sign in when using Overlook Convenience Center, it is an honor system and we depend on our residents to be honest. Residents are charged one of their 12 free loads if they bring trash or brush; moreover, mixed recycle, glass, metal and cardboard are accepted free of charge and are not counted towards their annual free loads,” Environmental Services Manager Angelica Gurule said.
The Environmental Services Division strives to educate the public about its services, Trainee Clint Chevalier said.
“It lets us inform residents what can and can’t be left here and direct them to the Eco Station. I think it’s education. Part of our job is to educate residents about how our program works,” he said. “If we can catch them (the offenders) we explain the rules to them … most of the residents are very receptive of it.”
Attendants are not regularly stationed at the collection center, Chevalier said. “It’s on and off as needed because we’re trying to deter contractors.”
The collection center is heavily used. Pegoda said in 2016, 197 tons of brush, 489 tons of trash, 51 tons of cardboard and 29 tons of metal were collected. To date this year 114 tons of brush has been collected along with 269 tons of trash, 30 tons of cardboard and 20 tons of metal, she said.
The collection center has been in operation since the opening of the Eco Station in 2009.
“It’s just a convenience for the White Rock residents to properly dispose of unwanted materials. We want them to have something nearby and reduces illegal dumping,” Pegoda said.
The collection center hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Friday. It is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and closed Wednesday and Thursday.