Gardnerville Town Manager Erik Nilssen
Green waste disposal is just one piece of the puzzle in determining Gardnerville’s garbage collection fees for the next three years.
The city does not charge a fee for green waste, but that may change as a fee increase is being worked on in the coming months.
Gardnerville City Manager Erik Nilssen laid the groundwork for a fee increase next year at the July 2 town meeting.
He reported that the city’s health and hygiene fund was in a poor financial situation.
He said the fund will lose $66,026 this fiscal year due to higher personnel and landfill costs.
This is only slightly less than the $69,325 in operating reserves.
He said Gardnerville has the lowest rates of the three providers in Carson Valley, and a 10 percent rate increase would be needed for the fund to just break even over the next three years.
Nilssen said he hoped there could be a discussion about the new tariffs before changes to two seats on the board are made at the end of the year.
The city has been offering free green waste collection since 2000.
Early on, the city took its green waste to Bently Ranch, where it was composted, or to the Carson City landfill, where it was used as a topsoil.
Since 2015, Bently has stopped accepting the material – consisting of grass clippings, bushes and small branches – and charges the same amount for landfill as for solid waste.
“Currently, the city is not making any cost savings by offering green waste,” said Nilssen.
During nine months in 2023, the city collected 532 tons of green waste from its 1,527 accounts, which cost $40,000 to dispose of, not including fuel, staff time and trucks.
Nilssen has calculated that the city could finance the program with $4 per can per month.
To find a solution to handle green waste, Nilssen met with Full Circle Compost.
Full Circle accepts clean green waste for $40 per ton or contaminated green waste for $75 per ton, so clean loads can represent a significant cost savings for residents.
Acceptable compostable materials include any plant matter generated during normal gardening and landscaping activities that is no longer than 3 feet on the longest side or no larger than 6 inches in diameter. Yard waste includes plant debris such as grass clippings, leaves, clippings, weeds, branches, brush, yard trimmings, and other forms of plant waste.
However, the first four loads delivered to Full Circle Compost all exceeded the 25-gallon contamination limit, resulting in the higher rates.
“From an ecological and economic point of view, we would like to continue the city’s green waste program,” said Nilssen.
Nilssen is also looking at other options to reduce rising waste fees, such as increasing the cost of a second bin and abolishing the minimum user category.
Minden has increased its garbage fees, effective July 1. The towns have their own garbage collection. The rest of East Fork Township is served by Douglas Disposal, which has been approved for a fee increase.
