Fort Smith sanitation revenues, tonnage up in 2008
by April 24, 2009 11:09 am 69 views
The Fort Smith Department of Sanitation posed a 12.2% gain in revenue in 2008 despite a decline in industrial revenue collections and the customer base for commercial collections.
Revenue for the department comes from six basic categories: residential, commercial, industrial, landfill operations, sale of landfill gas and recycling, Those areas generated $14.09 million in revenue in 2008, up 12.2% over the $12.56 million in 2007. (See graph below for details.)
Declines in industrial collections and the commercial collections customer base are the result of industry slowdowns and/or shutdowns at Whirlpool, Southern Steel & Wire, Trane, Rheem, Riverside Furniture, Jarden Plastics and other large manufacturing operations, noted Joseph Hopper, a division manager for the department.
Hopper also cited increased competition from private sector trash hauling companies as a reason for the decline in the department’s customer base. Hopper said the most recent rate adjustment was in June 2007, and he expects the next rate review “sometime in 2010.”
The Fort Smith Landfill saw its tonnage increase 8.9% in 2008 to 312,642 tons. The landfill, the largest in the state and with an estimated lifespan of another 40 years, saw tonnage decrease 4.7% in 2007 when compared to 2006.
Hopper said recycling efforts that keep landfill tonnage under control “are at the mercy of the generators (residents, businesses, and industries) to participate in our collection programs.” He said the department recently began the first office recycling program in Fort Smith — “Operation GO!”
Recyclable materials collected at the landfill are transferred to a “Materials Recovery Facility” — presently located at Fort Smith Waste Paper in downtown Fort Smith — where the materials are sorted and sold into the recyclable marketplace.
“A major misconception is that an item is recyclable because it displays the recycling symbol. There has to be a local market for the materials in order for certain items to be accepted for collection. For instance, there is a market for milk jugs (#2 HDPE plastic) in our area, but there is not a market for plastic detergent bottles (also #2 HDPE plastic), therefore we do not accept the plastic detergent bottles,” Hopper explained.
