I’m not kidding. And I’ll be getting a “load” of garbage in my new position on the City of Richland’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee. The committee, comprised of myself and about 10 others, will be digging through Richland’s garbage options and providing a recommendation to council for the solid waste program’s future. It’s a big deal.

Being that the City of Richland runs it’s own solid waste program and landfill, residents have benefited from low rates and a quality of service unthinkable in many area’s of the state. But at the city’s current waste stream rate, it may not last. As I understand it, unless we make some changes our landfill could be at capacity by 2012. That’s not that far off.

There will be a matrix of options presented to us. Of those we will be looking at the possibilities of curbside recycling, transfer stations, composting, long haul (trucking out of area), and if I have it correct, even some expansion of our current landfill. Each has it’s own set of unique problems and possibilities.

Curbside recycling requires customer cooperation and a level of convenience in order to be successful. But the more convenient, the more problematic. Mixing recyclable materials such as glass and aluminum is easier for the customer but can require manual separation later in the process. Paper and aluminum have markets, glass not so much. And as it is, many of the end points for these materials are on the west side of the state so transporting the stuff is a requirement.

Transfer stations could be an excellent opportunity. Not only could they possibly be separation points for recyclables, they also would reduce the city’s transportation costs which can be measured in dollars per mile. Additionally, they could be places for residents to drop off materials, reducing transportation costs for customers as well. With gas at 4 bucks a gallon there is some wisdom in this option, but up front costs could be a prohibitive factor.

Composting is one of my favorite ideas. Green waste, as it’s called, can make up a major portion of each residents weekly output. We have great lawns in Richland (eat your heart out Seattle) and while much of the time, I try to mow my lawn with the mulch option on my mower, you can’t do that all the time. If that waste can be captured and composted, it would cut my output in half. And it could possibly provide a commodity at the same time. Nothing better than good compost to regenerate nutrient depleted soil.

I’ll talk more about these and the other options later. But ultimately, I would like to see a recommendation that improves our current program, ensures longevity and keeps costs down. I’m also going to do some experimentation in my own recycling that should provide some laughs. I’ve never been good at it and it’s time I improve my own behavior.

If you are a resident of Richland, or just have some thoughts, by all means provide some comments. I’ve been around here for a long time and while I’m pretty sure my experiences are pretty typical, it’s good to hear others’ point of view.