Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

On June 6 Community Waste Solutions will begin collecting household waste at the Mosquito Lake Community Center every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

COW will charge customers $5.50 per 13-gallon bag and $11 per 34-gallon bag.

“We sampled over seven hundred incoming bags to come up with a per-bag weight average so we could start basing our price on that,” CWS manager Craig Franke said. “Because we don’t have a scale up there and we don’t have the ability to weigh the bags, we needed to come up with a per-bag fee.”

CWS will not accept payment during drop off periods, but will invoice customers who must create an account with the landfill. Those interested can call 766-2736.

To incentivize participation, CWS will donate back a quarter per bag back to the Mosquito Lake Community Center

“I know the borough has cut funding out of necessity so we’re going to reach back out and donate some of that back to keep their community center viable,” Franke said.

Franke said he hopes the upper valley collection will curb illegal dumping, a problem identified several years ago by the borough’s solid waste working group.

“At this point we’re really in the dark as to what to expect,” Franke said. “I’m kind of going into this with more optimism than facts about what our market share is up there.”

Mosquito Lake resident Jim Stanford said he plans to take advantage of the opportunity, and thinks the collection service might help curb illegal dumping. He said many upper valley residents burn their garbage to avoid paying dump prices and the drive into town.

“It’s not just paper, it’s nasty stuff like diapers and things like that. We’re tired of driving 30 miles to take our trash in,” Stanford said. “Plus, it’s expensive. I think (CWS’s bag fees) are a good deal considering you don’t have to drive to town. I hope people take advantage of it.”

Franke said that upper valley residents will also be able to bring sorted recyclables including aluminum, plastic, glass, cardboard and paper products. Franke said recycling pickup might not be available during the first week when collection begins, but will shortly afterward.