Work is underway on a new 17-acre Resource Recovery Campus for Clay County’s solid waste department. The $21 million garbage transfer station, recycling center and offices is expected to streamline recycling and trash operations and make it easier for residents to dispose of their recyclables, hazardous waste, electronics and trash, said County Commissioner Jenny Mongeau. “It was pretty cumbersome before,” she said, noting that facilities were spread at various locations across Moorhead.
The facility will also ease the process for garbage haulers who annually transfer 9,400 tons of trash from Moorhead and surrounding towns to the Prairie Lakes Incinerator and 20,000 tons to the Clay County landfill near Hawley. Rosenberger said besides Moorhead’s trash he believes Fuchs Sanitation of Glyndon, which handles a lot of the garbage service in the smaller towns surrounding Moorhead, will likely be using the station, too.
Trucks will dump garbage on a cement “tipping floor” at an indoor part of the operation where it can be separated. The approach is an improvement over hauling directly to the landfill, where bad weather and muddy conditions can hamper dumping, Rosenberger said. The new transfer station will also provide a sorting area where workers can remove problem waste like mattresses, furniture, tires and electronics. That will mean “cleaner” trash that’s transferred to the Perham incinerator, which will help extend the life of the county landfill. The new facility will also have a shredder for mattresses, carpet and furniture, providing easier handling of trash taken to Perham, Rosenberger said.