Anatomy
of a Cleanup - Wertz Road Cleaned in Woodbury Township
Along Wertz Road
in Woodbury Township a four-phase cleanup took place during Spring 2002.
In the first phase, Woodbury Township supplied two trucks, a front-end
loader and two workers to help remove heavy piles of shingles and debris
that volunteers could not remove by hand. Removed that day were 8.41
tons of debris. It was then realized that one more pre-cleanup would
be needed to remove the remaining heavy debris before the actual volunteer
cleanup.
In
the second phase of the cleanup, PennDOT supplied two trucks and two
operators, while the township was there again with a truck and front-end
loader. By the end of this cleanup, an additional 22.50 tons of debris
were removed as well as 1,640 pounds of scrap metal, which was properly
recycled. We were ready for the volunteer cleanup, finally!
On
April 6, 14 volunteers worked for four hours, contributing 56 total
volunteer hours, removing an additional 4.04 tons of refuse and 48 tires.
Robert Stone, a local farmer, volunteered his expertise with a loader
after the volunteers were gone. He worked several hours moving huge
stones and piles of dirt around to block further access to any illegal
dumping. One more thing remained to be done.
On
April 10, the Blair County Solid Waste Authority, the township and a
PA CleanWays volunteer arrived to get the tires from the site plus an
additional 180 tires at another site down the road. They were taken
for proper recycling in a waste authority truck, making three trips.
Beyond
abatement, the most important tool to fight illegal dumping, is for
those living near the site to monitor or watch the site for evidence
of further dumping. Being aware of when dumping occurs allows enforcement
agencies to prosecute those responsible.
Except
for tires, all costs of the cleanup were in-kind services. Tire removal
was paid for with a West Nile Virus source reduction grant.
Cleanup
Costs
- 34.95
tons of waste x $58.00 a ton=$2027.10
- 2.49
tons of tires- $249.00 (approx. 100 tires per ton)
- Total
Vol. Hrs.- 63 x $6.00 = $378.00
- Machinery/Operator
hrs. - 47 x $40 = $1880.00
- Total
Cost = $4,534.10
Explanation
of Costs
- It
costs $58.00 a ton for tipping fees at Southern Alleghenies Transfer
Station. They donated all tipping fees.
- $100.00
per ton at Penn Turf here in Blair County. Fees per tire locally vary
from $2.00 to $3.00 per tire.
- Volunteer
hours at $6.00 is the going price for non-profits to figure their
"In-Kind" services.
- Machinery
plus a driver at $40.00 an hour for both is also the current rate
allowed.
