Red Feather Transfer Station stuffs it in, hauls it out

By Stephen Clearheart Johnson
Correspondent

In the winter, Nancy Fleisch-hacker shows up at work in Red Feather Lakes only once a month, but it's always on a Saturday.

Fleischhacker lives in the Upper Poudre Canyon and usually commutes to work at the Larimer County landfill south of Fort Collins. "Actually, it's pretty convenient for me," she said of her Red Feather Lakes job.

Her Saturday shop, the RFL Transfer Station, is only open once a month during the winter season. The station is one of four outlying posts operated by the Larimer County Solid Waste Department for collecting trash and recyclables from county residents living in the far-flung region of what is one of the physically largest counties in the Lower 48. Providing recycling services to remote rural and mountain areas is a challenge for counties as well as commercial providers. In figures cited by Gov. Bill Ritter, Colorado has the nation's 12th worst recycling rate.

On this particular wintry January morning with snow beginning to fall, Fleischhacker is dealing with an equipment problem and waiting for the promised service truck to arrive. Trash and other waste materials are run through the hopper of a large, electrically operated compactor, which then pushes it into a 30-foot long steel bin, the haul-away container.

Today Fleischhacker arrived to find the fresh empty bin sitting a foot away from the compactor. Ice and snow the previous month had prevented the delivery driver from being able to connect the two massive pieces of equipment. Nearby, another large steel bin, complete with steel catwalk, holds commingled recyclables and newspaper for recycling.

Fleischhacker guides her customers to place their bags directly into the bin, not into the hopper as usual. By 11 a.m. she has had eight visitors, and quickly serves three more in 15 minutes. Fleischhacker warmly greets her "regulars" and directs new clients, often passing out a bookmark-sized flyer that lists the hours and materials the station handles. She also posts these flyers at area businesses and churches to help area residents learn of the site. The station has been in operation since November 2006, yet the recycling bin only since April 2007, so many area residents are unaware of the valuable service the county provides.

Although the fees for trash are as much as 60 percent higher at the transfer stations than at the landfill, the savings in time and gasoline (and subsequent air pollution) is enormous when compared to driving regularly to the landfill, almost 50 miles. The fee is $8.03 per cubic yard, with a minimum of $6.03. There is no fee for recycling.

Self-described "recycling fanatics" Barbara and Richard Pals of Red Feather Highlands love being able to recycle so close to home and speak as if they've never missed a day. Yet, recycling services have not yet expanded enough for the station to accept cardboard; Red Feather can only accept commingled recyclables and newsprint.

As the snow picks up, Fleischhacker keeps glancing out to see if the promised service truck is coming. When not operating the compactor or guiding customers, Fleischhacker spends her time in a small hut housing the phone and office equipment as well as a microwave and small refrigerator. Fleischhacker brings along a DVD player, just in case she has a slow hour, and notes that her hut is "not as decked out as some of the other transfer stations, which have been open longer."

Fleischhacker said she is never bored. "It's nice up here, it's beautiful!" she said. "There are birds, eagles, squirrels, and it is much prettier than the landfill."

In fact, the transfer station is placed in landscape so subtly that the casual driver might not notice it tucked into the trees on the north side of Parvin Lake along County Road 74E. Utilizing this particular site was a major accomplishment in intergovernmental cooperation, as the station sits on Division of Wildlife Land, but is accessed across Forest Service land. Hence, the gorgeous pole fence lining the driveway, meeting Forest Service visual requirements.

Suddenly Fleischhacker's eyes light up as she sees the truck from Waste Management coming up the drive. The company provides the equipment and hauling service for the site.

This morning, veteran driver Andre Chancellor has driven from Fort Collins for the purpose of aligning and connecting the bin with the compactor. Does he mind? "No," said Chancellor, "I love these mountains. They can send me up here anytime."

With a series of deft maneuvers, Chancellor succeeds in mating the three-ton bin to the front of the compactor.

Larimer County also operates transfer stations in Wellington, Berthoud and Estes Park. The Wellington station is located on the Owl Canyon Road between County Roads 7 and 9. It is open on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as Wednesdays in summer. In a similar fashion, the Berthoud site is open Wednesdays and Saturdays, while the much larger Estes Park site is open three days per week and five in the summers. It is the only transfer station that accepts any commercial waste.

Both the Wellington and Estes Park stations are located on former landfills, which the county was happy to close in the 1980s. In 2008, Larimer County's budget for all solid waste activities is $5.2 million, about 2 percent of the total county budget.

"It's a service, not a money-maker," said Fleischhacker.

Ann Lujan, transfer stations manager, notes that the Red Feather station processed some 575 cubic yards last year, compared with 1,870 for Wellington. For Red Feather, this meant hauling the bin to the landfill eight times. Lujan views the long-term growth and said, "We're happy with the data."

As Fleischhacker helps customers unload, she carefully scans for any dangerous items. The transfer stations cannot accept hazardous waste of any kind, such as household chemicals, pesticides, paints, tires, batteries or appliances.

Still, some dangerous items slip through the common-sense safety net. Fleischhacker points out a bin of camping-sized propane bottles that are marketed as disposable. "You never know how much gas is in one," she noted. That fact alone explains why there is a fire hose port built into the bin.