FYI: Trash Compactor in Sun Valley

Trash Compactors – For Household Trash Only -- A rash of recent illegal dumping in and around trash compactors – the big tan steel automated trash containers in rural Lincoln County – has promoted Greentree Solid Waste Authority officials to step up security camera surveillance and subsequent prosecution of individuals who ignore easy-to-read operating signs.

State and federal law enacted in the early 1990s, are clear – no trash of any kind is to be dumped on the ground near or far from an approved trash container – compactors or dumpsters in Lincoln County and Ruidoso. The law makes no exceptions. Both laws were passed to protect soil and watersheds from potential contamination.

The three-step operation of the large OSHA and EPA approved compactors is quite simple.

·         One, open the small compartment door by sliding the door lever to the left;

·         Two, open the door and place household trash only [bagged trash and garbage that comes from within the residence] into the compartment.

·         Three, close the door and slide the lever into the lock hole to the right.

The machine will automatically begin to compress the trash further into the large metal compartment.  Do not touch any controls to the rear of the compactor.

Compactors will not accept the following items which must be transported to the GSWA transfer station on Highway 70:

·         No furniture or appliances, or metal shelving

·         No tires, electronics, or yard waste such as tree limbs, needles or leaves

·         No construction waste of any kind.

·         Discarded Oil or gasoline

Penalties for misuse of the equipment can be severe. GSWA continues to actively prosecute offenders in order to not pass along repair and cleanup costs to its customers. A recent case in the Alto area apprehended two violators who placed metal shelving and construction waste into a compactor, breaking the equipment over the busy July 4^th weekend for other users.

Compactors have worked safely and for more than a decade in Lincoln County. The surrounding landscape stays much cleaner and foraging for garbage by bears, ravens and other animals is eliminated.

You can help prevent by reading the instructions carefully before using the compactor equipment. If you see someone dumping illegally around a compactor or dumpster site, take a cell phone picture of the offender and send to www.greentreeswa.org.