Anderson: Needed infrastructure in NW Valley will help keep trash rates low, preserve recycling
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By Stephen W. Anderson
There has been a lot of talk about the proposed Happy Valley Recycling and Transfer Facility near 115th Avenue and Happy Valley Road, and unfortunately not all of the information is accurate. And that’s understandable. Transfer facilities are often confused with landfills, and effective communication during the current COVID-19 crisis can be a challenge.
On behalf of Republic Services, an Arizona-based company and one of the state’s largest employers, we would like to try to set the record straight.
For a time, opponents mislabeled this proposal a landfill. Most landfills are 500 to 1,000 acres. The Happy Valley Facility would be five acres. The average landfill is 175 to over 300 feet tall. The Happy Valley facility would be 40 feet tall. It would be about the size of an average Walgreens.
The Happy Valley transfer and recycling facility is a place where local trucks will offload recyclables and trash in an indoor facility. The materials will then be hauled away to landfills and recycling centers.
There is currently no such facility in the area, which forces local waste haulers, including the city of Peoria, to send refuse trucks long distances to landfills and recycling centers. This increases truck traffic and disposal costs for residents and small businesses throughout the Northwest Valley.
A transfer facility would help keep trash rates low in Peoria and surrounding areas. It could even help Peoria preserve its recycling program at a time when many communities are scaling back recycling.
It will also bring some new jobs to the area and increase the tax base.
Recycling and transfer facilities are common. They are located all over Maricopa County, including north Scottsdale, the Desert Ridge area in Phoenix, and in Chandler near Tumbleweed Park. The facilities have not impacted property values in those upscale neighborhoods. Transfer stations are located in almost every section of Maricopa County, with the exception of the northwest portion of the Valley.
The Happy Valley recycling and transfer facility would use mister systems to reduce any odors and dust. It would use specialized netting to keep any birds away. And it will listen to neighbors and work with the community to make sure trash disposal is efficient, clean and quiet.
Truck traffic would be minimal; mostly made up of local trash and recycling trucks. Only 38 trucks per day would enter and leave the site. That amounts to 76 trips a day. Transfer facilities are designed to limit truck traffic, not increase it. Schedules would be set to prevent backups and to keep trucks moving. Regional trucks hauling recyclables and refuse would bypass residential neighborhoods as they get on the Loop 303 – there are no homes between the proposed site and the Loop 303 interchange. The only trucks nearby residents would see in their communities are the trucks that are already in their neighborhoods today, picking up trash and recyclables.
One of the purposes of a transfer facility is to reduce truck traffic and eliminate the chaos associated with local trash haulers traveling long distances to get to regional landfills. Our stated goals include organized routes that keep larger vehicles out of residential neighborhoods.
Republic’s most important asset is its good name. Republic Services is headquartered in Arizona. Its charitable foundation invests millions in community projects nationwide and in Arizona. They are committed to the environment. Last year, they recycled enough material to fill 48 football fields.
Because of the rapid growth in the Northwest Valley, a transfer station will have to be built. Given the presence of transfer stations across the rest of the Valley, it almost seems inevitable. Shouldn’t the job of building that facility go to a locally based company that is among the country’s most ethical and sustainable, a company that stepped up during the COVID-19 crisis by reinvesting $20 million with local businesses in the communities it serves? If not Republic, then who?
It’s easy to get the facts wrong if the facts are hard to find. We could have done a better job of making sure everyone had accurate information early on. Republic Services is grateful for this opportunity to get some information out. Learn more about this project at HappyValleyTransfer.com.
Editor’s note: Mr. Anderson is a lawyer with Gammage & Burnham who represents Republic Services.
