Repair work continues on Green River transfer station

Work continues on bring the city’s solid waste transfer station back online, with workers currently repairing electrical systems in the building.

Mark Westenskow, public works director for the city, said lighting has been installed and wired throughout the facility. Workers are currently set on repairing the building’s automatic doors. Westenskow said the fire also severely damaged a lot of materials with lower melting points, which include both wiring and PVC piping. Much of the damaged materials are still in the building.

“It’s hanging like Christmas garland,” Westenskow said about some of the PVC piping.

According to City Engineer Andy Hooten, a completion date is not scheduled yet, but said work is progressing at a good pace. Hooten said the main reason they don’t have a completion date is due to the contractors not sure when some of the machinery set to be replaced will be built and delivered.

In 2018, a fire suspected to have started from an improperly disposed lithium battery burned through the newly constructed facility. The fire was one of the reasons why Wyoming Waste Systems halted its curbside recycling program, opting to landfill recyclables at the Solid Waste District No. 1 landfill outside Rock Springs. The repair work took more than a year to initialize due to investigations into the fire as well as documenting the scope of the repair work needed. WWS will resume its recycling operations after installing a new compactor at the facility. Michelle Foote, site manager for WWS in Rock Springs, said the company will send fliers identifying which products can be recycled in their next bills. They will start observing items placed in the recycling bins and place stickers advising customers of items not capable of being recycled. On the second offense, another sticker will be placed on the bin and the resident will receive a letter. Continued problems will result in the recycling bin being removed from the residence.

“In addition, if we empty 25 carts or more with non-recyclables we will have to take the load to the landfill,” Foote wrote in an email to the Star.