HOMER BALING FACILITY (HBF)

 Location

The Homer Baling/Landfill Facility is located at mile 169.3 of the Sterling Highway, north of Homer.

Background

The site was established by the KPB in 1979 as a landfill and converted to a baling/landfill facility in 1983.

Operations

The site consists of approximately 90 acres, which includes 15 to 18 acres currently being used for landfill activities.  Baling facility and site operations and maintenance are conducted by qualified, trained Borough employees.

The HBF receives municipal solid waste (MSW), construction/demolition and landclearing waste, wastewater treatment plant sludge from the City of Homer, and recyclables. The estimated annual tonnage is 8,000 tons. Operational hours are Monday through Saturday, 8:00 A.M. to 5:45 P.M. and Sundays from Noon to 4:00 P.M.

The public and commercial haulers deposit waste onto the baler tipping floor or into the nearby recycling bins. Large items including construction/demolition debris, metals, wood, autos, etc. are either placed in a stockpile location for reuse by the public, recycled, or buried directly in the landfill.

Some of the waste requiring special management includes used oil and lead acid batteries, which are accepted daily, and hazardous waste collection conducted periodically throughout the year. Refrigerators and freezers are stockpiled in a designated area until they are drained of all refrigerants (freon, etc.). Asbestos is accepted only at the CPL.

Baling

The waste that is deposited in the building is screened for hazardous wastes and/or materials not allowed for disposal prior to transport via conveyor to a baler pit. The waste is then compacted into approximately 2.5 x 3.5 x 4.5 foot cubes which weigh an average of one ton each. After compaction, the bales are transported to the landfill for stacking and burial.

Baling has proved beneficial in many ways including:

 Monitoring

Environmental monitoring includes groundwater sampling twice per year from seven water wells, which surround the facility, and surface water sampling of Dimond Creek annually. Waste screening for hazardous waste exclusion is also conducted.

Fees

In May 1993, the Borough began charging fees for solid waste disposal of commercial/business wastes when delivered in vehicles with carrying capacity of five (5) cubic yards or more. Fees are charged only for specific wastes items which include, but are not limited to, construction/demolition, landclearing, junk vehicles, tires, etc. The HBF does not have weigh scales, so disposal is charged by the vehicle size.   Fees are based on vehicle carrying capacity regardless of size or content of the load.

HBF loads shall be charged as follows:

Sales tax shall be added as applicable.

Recycling

The HBF originally conducted the Borough's pilot program for recycling. Collection bins are set up inside of the building for convenient public disposal.

The materials collected for recycling include:

tin cans

HDPE plastic milk jugs and laundry detergent containers

PET #1 transparent drink containers

scrap metal including copper, iron, junk vehicles

The solid waste baler is used to compact all recyclables, except for the glass, prior to transporting to an Anchorage recycle market. A local trucking company provides the Borough with a discounted transport rate which has helped to maintain low costs.

Since it is not practical to transport glass great distances for recycling, and because there is a beneficial use locally, the Borough has utilized the glass in the HBF landfill roads. Glass is an excellent drainage medium in place of gravel, especially since the HBF soils are very silty and gravel must be purchased when needed. See Recycling and Waste Related Programs

HBF Recycle Tonnages

Note: Above totals do not include any junk vehicles, scrap metal, or glass recycling tonnages.

SITE RULES

The majority of the waste is deposited in the building, compacted and baled prior to disposal. Wastes which can not be baled are deposited in designated staging areas where materials are stored until they can be recycled, burned or buried. Facility rules and restriction are as follows:

Facility Wastes.   Vehicles deposit waste on the tip floor or conveyor belt. Unbaleable waste must be placed in the landfill area.

Recycling.   Presorted recyclables such as newspaper, mixed container glass, flattened corrugated cardboard, mixed paper, and aluminum cans, #1 PET plastics and #2 HDPE plastics are accepted in designated recycling areas. See Recycling

Used Oil and Oil Filters Up to 10 gallons of used oil per day and no more than 25 gallons per month will be accepted after inspection by the site operator to ensure that it is free of contaminants (no water, solvents, etc.). Contaminated oil must be disposed through the KPB hazardous waste program. Up to four used oil filters may be disposed per month.

Vehicle Batteries  Vehicle batteries (10 per year) are accepted and placed in totes.

Household Batteries  AA, AAA, 9 Volt, C, D, Nicad, and other small household type batteries are accepted in designated collection containers.

Fluorescent Bulbs/Lamps Fluorescent bulbs from homeowners and small businesses can be disposed of at the HBF with a limit of 10 bulbs per month. There is no charge to homeowners for fluorescent bulb disposal.

Automobiles.   Batteries, oil, fuel and other hazardous liquids (i.e. brake fluid, antifreeze, etc.) or materials must be removed. A vehicle disposal check off list may be obtained from the HBF attendant. A disposal form (available at the facility) must be signed by the disposer prior to acceptance of the vehicle. 

Asbestos. Asbestos is accepted at the CPL in Soldotna only. See CPL for information.

Small Quantities of Hazardous Waste.  Households and small businesses can dispose of hazardous waste and chemicals through the Borough's hazardous waste program. See Hazardous Waste

Staging Area Wastes.  Staging areas are maintained for metals, concrete/rock/masonry and landclearing/wood debris. These wastes are handled differently and must be delivered segregated from rubbish, food wastes, general office waste, etc; reduced in size to lengths of no more than six feet; and compacted or flattened as much as possible prior to deposit in the proper area. Size restriction exemptions may be granted by the site operator on a case by case basis.

Miscellaneous Wastes.   Disposers of unusual wastes, large quantities, or wastes that require special handling must coordinate with the operator and/or Borough prior to disposal. These materials may include, but will not be limited to, animal/fish carcasses, small amounts of containerized kitchen grease, ashes, large amounts of wood waste, large amounts of construction/demolition waste, fishing nets, etc.

Prohibited Wastes. Disposal of hazardous waste, paint, chemicals, solvents, batteries, contaminated oil, fluorescent light bulbs, sewage, soils, pesticides, seafood processing waste, explosives, overburden/peat, infectious waste, waste liquids, radioactive waste, and hot ashes is PROHIBITED.

Segregation and Refusal of Waste.   The Borough or its representative has the right to refuse waste based on volume, content, improper identification, segregation, or size. The Borough may limit acceptance of any item at any site based on capacity or ability to handle the waste. Waste segregation is required by disposers and consists of separation of large items and waste that cannot be baled. Proper segregation of waste such as construction/demolition debris, wood waste, landclearing debris, tires, metal, clean drums, wiring, banding, boat/automotive parts, etc. is not only required, but it will also minimize disposal costs. Mixed loads that result in difficulty offloading or sorting at the baling facility are not only subject to charge, but may be rejected if easy sorting is not possible.

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