By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The illegal actions of a few could impact the entire community. That was the message Great Bend Public Works Director David Dunekack shared during Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting regarding the city’s compost site. Activity at the location has picked up with recent rains, but Dunekack said illegal items continue to be among the items dropped at the site.
“The compost site is neither a landfill, nor a trash dumpster,” he said. “It is a place for citizens to deposit grass, tree limbs, and other woody herbaceous or grass-like plants. There are three different sets of signs at the compost sign which explain in detail what is acceptable, only, at the site.”
Dunekack said the rules are simple: put grass and grass-like plants in the grass pile, and tree limbs and other woody plants in the tree pile. Backing up to the pile also saves the city time and money.
“I know everyone is in a hurry, but be patient and wait until there is room for you to get as close as possible to the pile,” he said. “This will save on diesel fuel consumption and hourly wages.”
Dunekack showed the council some 20 slides depicting the various forms of litter, some from as last as last week. Citizens have dropped off mattresses, tires, lumber, bags of dog feces, and other miscellaneous trash. Last year, the city paid $530.40 to haul off tires deposited at the site. Also last year, the city paid $679.56 to haul off other miscellaneous trash. In May, the city paid an additional $830.18. Those costs could go up with the Barton County Landfill increasing fees in July.
“If the situation does not improve, I will have no choice but to have the compost site open during working hours only,” said Dunekack. “Yes, this means it will be open at 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., and it will not be open on Saturday and Sunday.”
The compost site does have cameras, but Dunekack urged citizens to be vigilant when they see someone dumping illegal items. Note the date, time, a vehicle description, and snap a photo of the illegal items dumped. That information can be turned into the Great Bend Police Department so a citation can be issued. Instances can be reported by calling the Public Works Department at (620) 793-4150.
In accordance with Permit No. 808 issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), the compost facility may only accept grass, leaves, brush and tree limbs.
There are restrictions on the size of tree limbs allowed as branches must not exceed six inches in diameter or eight feet in length.