LAYTON—In a recent letter to the Davis County Commissioners, the Layton City Council gave its notice of intent to pull out of Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District citing, among other things, the financial impact of staying. The city was tentatively set to meet with commissioners this week. 

The decision to withdraw could also impact other northern cities with potential rate increases.

“There will be a loss of revenue (if they leave),” said Nathan Rich, executive director

Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District. “We’ll have to figure that out.”

The letter from Layton City reads in part: “The City Council has carefully evaluated the financial impact of remaining in the District and determined that doing so is no longer in the best interest of taxpayers. Withdrawing will lead to considerable cost savings and as responsible stewards of public funds, we must pursue more economical waste management solutions.”

Layton expressed some concern a little over a year ago, Rich said. “The district passed a resolution to put a penalty in place if a city didn’t have a robust recycling program. If they didn’t there would be a fee increase because it creates more waste.”

A heavy handed penalty may not have been the best approach, he said. “The Layton City Council met with us and asked that we rescind that. We responded quickly and changed the program to make it better with a diversion incentive for green waste recycling and co-mingling then the pre-can rate gets reduced by the amount of waste reversed.”

The city’s plan is to save money, he said. “I believe that Wasatch provides a high level of services that residents appreciate and want to keep. I worry that that will get lost.”

People like that they can come up to the landfill and get in and out quickly, said Rich. “We do composting, recycling and have household hazardous drop-off. You might find it cheaper but it’s not the same level of service.”

There are about 2,000 people a day that come to the landfill, he said. “For $10 they can come in and out of a clean, safe place. Residents like to drop off tree limbs and get compost. They can also drop off electronic waste.” 

Rich said they also have a thrift store. “It’s not a money maker but it’s a good educational tool. The staff provides tours to kids. I would encourage people to go to our website to see what we’re doing. All those services cost money.”

If Layton gets a private company it would probably be at a lower cost, he said. “But it wouldn’t provide the extra services Wasatch has. For two to three bucks is it worth it?”

The goal is to keep the landfill open for 15 years, said Rich. “We’re pushing for more recycling. The less waste we have to transfer the better.”

The commission would have to pass a resolution to allow Layton City to withdraw, he said. “They would have to have a public hearing. I’m interested to see how residents feel about the plan. At this point we’ll just wait and see until we get additional details.”

For more information about Wasatch Integrated Waste Management District visit www.wasatchintegrated.gov/davis-landfill/.