COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington residents dropping off debris from, say, a kitchen rehab project could pay less than $20 at the Covington Transfer Station starting Wednesday, July 1.

 

Under the City’s new waste collection contract, Rumpke Waste & Recycling is assuming operation and management of the transfer station at 4399 Boron Ave. With the new management comes not only a cheaper rate structure but also a 35 percent discount for Covington residents.

 

With that discount, residents will pay $19.50 to drop off up to 500 pounds of debris and $42.25 per ton for more than 500 pounds, Rumpke says.

 

In addition, the site will also eventually offer more disposal options: Rumpke plans to demolish the transfer station and build a new 16,000-square-foot facility within two years. As part of that plan, the company hopes to offer additional drop-off opportunities, some accessible day to day and some as part of special events. Options being considered include things like yard waste, electronic waste and tires.

 

“We wanted to make the transfer station a more helpful asset for the City, and Rumpke presented a plan that will do exactly that,” said Sheila Fields, Covington’s Solid Waste and Recycling coordinator. “We’ve heard complaints for years about the fees, and many residents have asked us to expand drop-off options. Exactly what those will look like, we’re not sure yet.”

 

Hours at the facility for public drop offs will remain the same: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m.-noon on Saturdays. However, the facility will be closed this Saturday, June 27, as part of the transition and next Saturday, July 4, for the holiday.

 

Dropping off certain materials - such as Freon, batteries, paint, chemicals and flammable liquids - will continue to be prohibited at the transfer station. Disposing of tires will continue to cost extra. For example, a car tire without a rim will cost $3.25, and a tire with a rim will cost $4.55.

 

The change in ownership was part of a comprehensive new 10-year waste collection contract the City signed with Rumpke earlier this spring.

 

As part of the deal, the City is selling the station and its nearby Public Works complex to Rumpke for $8 million. The company plans to renovate the Public Works offices and garages to serve as headquarters for its Northern Kentucky hauling operations. The project is projected to bring about 50 jobs to the site in the coming years.

 

“We are excited to get onsite and start taking steps toward building a new state-of-the-art transfer facility,” said Adam Rumpke, region vice president, Rumpke. “We have an aggressive timeline and hope to have the new transfer station operational within two years.”

 

Rumpke has been the City’s waste hauler for five years, but another company previously managed the transfer station operations. Those contracts were merged during this cycle.

 

# # #