County dumps to require ID

All refuse sites in Sanders County will begin requiring proof of county residency for people wanting to dump waste. Vehicles with in-county license plates (starting with 35) will be exempt from providing proof, as they are proof. All sites, including Plains, Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, Noxon and Heron will be asking for proof of residency starting this week.

The refuse sites have begun to notice a major issue with out of county and out of state residents dumping into the Sanders County sites. Mineral County is private, and they have to work with the local services there, which can be far more expensive than dropping off their trash in Sanders.

According to refuse manager Jason Peterson, refuse site traffic has shot up to 4000 vehicles a month, just in Plains alone. Locals pay taxes to use these sites and many believe that it is wrong for out of county people to get the same services that they do not contribute to. In the end, the cost of removing and processing the garbage is going up due to the traffic increase from outside the county, which only affects locals.

Vehicles without the 35 license pate will be required to provide proof of in-county residency with a tax or utility bill, rent bill, or other proof of address. The individual will then be given a residential permit sticker that must be shown upon use of any refuse site. One sticker will be given to each household, and replacements will cost $5 each.

Those who are working in county but are residents of somewhere else will be required to possess a special use permit. This permit will cost $160 per year, as well as a fee for yardage. This yardage fee is $10 per yard.

According to the refuse staff, their operators are currently dealing with a lot of volatility from the increase in traffic. They would like to mention that in order to keep costs down locals should remember that sites close at 5 p.m., however, to be courteous locals should come no later than 4:45 p.m. in order to allow operators time to close, and to avoid accruing overtime that will be billed to the county, eventually leading to increases in taxes.