R-Board revises landfill fee system

The Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) met Monday to readdress the newly instituted fee system for the landfills being used by Stafford County and City of Fredericksburg residents.

At an earlier meeting, they had voted for a new fee system, which would cost residents up to $12 a load to drop off their garbage at an area landfill.

After community concern about the high fee system, the R-Board called a special meeting to readdress the amount of the fees.

In a 5-1 vote, the R-Board voted to remove the earlier tiered fee system, said Anthony Romanello, the Stafford County Administrator, in a release.

Now there will be a $4 cap per truckload, and the $100 rate for the annual pass to the landfills was lowered to $75.

While Paul Milde, a Stafford County Supervisor and R-Board member, is still not happy with the fee structure, he commented that the cap is better than the original $12 fee.

In addition to addressing the fee system, the R-Board discussed other options on what to do with area landfills, according to Milde.

“[We’ve been] given several options. One of them was selling [the landfill] outright, one was privatizing,” Milde said.

Another option would be a transfer station, where residents could drop off their trash at the landfill facilities, and then it would be transported elsewhere.

“You’d come to dump your trash, and it wouldn’t stay there,” said Milde. He did not feel that the idea was good for residents, but noted that many other counties use transfer stations for waste management.

Gary Snellings, a Stafford County Supervisor and another R-Board member, raised the issue of selling the landfill as a preferable option, according to Cathy Volbrecht, Director of Communications for Stafford County.

There have been no final decisions as to the future of Stafford County landfills, but the R-Board has decided to continue exploring options in future meetings.