Nearly 600 tons of mostly ferrous waste was removed from Wrangell's waste transfer yard, according to the contactor's estimates. During the week of June 26 an assortment of scrap was conveyed to the barge ramp, stacked, and was transported south for reprocessing.
An arrangement made between the city and a Juneau contractor has freed up a considerable amount of waste storage space.
Working between June 27 and July 2, Channel Construction loaded one of its barges high with scrap metal – everything from automobiles and industrial waste to white goods and spent equipment. Due to a combination of transportation costs and low commodities prices, the borough has been accumulating such materials for some time without a means to remove them. It has since been working with the company since last year to schedule an exchange, where it would barge out the waste for no charge while the city would forego the usual rebate.
Leaving on July 2, the barge has since made its way to Seattle to offload. The exchange was an opportunity for residents to get rid of unwanted jalopies and other bulky items, but the majority of its haul came from Wrangell's waste transfer facility, which had been about choked up with metal refuse.
"He is projecting they picked up around 600 tons from the waste transfer facility," reported Amber Al-Haddad, director for the Public Works Department. "We were pretty pleased."
A few vehicles and drums that were not cleaned up in time for transport still remain at the city yard, but the freed-up space should allow the department opportunity to organize its storage better as items come along. Al-Haddad said Channel Construction may bring another barge this fall to remove additional items from around the island, such as derelict barges down by the old log transfer facility.
"They're coming back and they're going to cut those up too," she said.
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