Local Dump...Becoming Transfer Station

When we lived at the end of East End Road we never went to the local transfer station because there was a trash drop-off site by McNeil Canyon School, right on our way to town.  These were eagle havens as the eagles scavenge for food at them.  They had limited recycling--just newspaper, cardboard and glass, if I remember right.  Periodically a truck comes up, drops off a new dumpster and hauls the full one to the dump in Homer.

Outlying area trash drop-off site by McNeil Canyon School

Since we moved closer to town it is now more convenient to go to the dump which is up Baycrest Hill heading out of town, between Roger's Loop Trailhead and the DOT trailhead.  Hours are most days, including limited hours on Sunday, and there are some times that this is a hopping local place.  It is free for residents to drop off their trash here, and usually just takes a quick minute or two to back into the big building, toss of the trash on the conveyor belt and pull out.  On the far right in this building there is a salvage area that people can drop off items that others might want--trash to them but that others might use.  There is a place to drop off appliances, fluorescent light bulbs and fish nets (a very Homer thing!).

Dropping off trash is as quick as backing into this building and tossing out the trash on the conveyor belt.

There is also a "big stuff" area up a hill to the right of this building where we drop off branches, wood, or any big pieces of trash.  Last year we made 5 trips to that section with our trailer loaded as we cleaned up our yard of years of junk of accumulation.

The recycling area

My favorite area is the recycling.  They take the standard recycling:  tin cans, corrougated cardboard, batteries, glass, aluminum, paper products, newspapers, #1 clear and #2 (milk jug) plastics.  I've often wondered if it is cost effective to recycle in Alaska because distances are so great, increasing transportation costs, but an article in a local newspaper a year or so ago assured us that it is indeed worth it so I separate my recyclables at home and when I head up to the dump I dump those things too.

The new transfer station being constructed

All this will change come August.  A new transfer station is being built right next to the current facility so trash will be trucked up to Soldotna. Apparently when this dump was established, its capacity was limited and it has reached the end of it's life.  I'm not sure how the transfer station is going to change the services we have now.  Will there still be a place to dump off branches and wood?  I am assuming the recycling center will stay.  The borough has contracted out the running of the new transfer station so it will no longer be borough-run.  I am also assuming that we will not get charged to drop our trash.  It will be interesting to see how this all shakes out.