MEEKER I If you need moving boxes, or want to be eco-conscious and recycle those old phone books, or old newspapers, the recycling center in Meeker is where you go.
Recently, a few residents—either out of ignorance or simply not wanting to pay the fee—have been taking advantage of this local service by dumping household trash, old furniture and other items at the 109 Third St. site.
“People just come down and dump their trash,” said Lee Overton of Overton Recycling.
There may be some confusion between the recycling center and the landfill transfer station located at Redi Services two miles northeast of Meeker on County Rd. 15. Trash can be brought to the transfer station Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. and disposed of at county landfill rates ($15/cu. yd.) without having to drive all the way to the Wray Gulch landfill between Meeker and Rangely.
The Town of Meeker subsidizes the operation of the recycling center for the benefit of the community, and contracts with Overton Recycling to handle the day-to-day operations. With two employees, the center hauls five-six tons of cardboard to be recycled weekly, two tons of plastic a month, one ton of paper a week, and about five refrigerators a week, plus metal and aluminum. The service is free for Meeker residents, with the exception of electronic items, for which there is a small fee.
“I charge them the same fee I pay to get rid of it at the landfill (electronics),” Overton said.
Surveillance cameras have been installed at the site and have captured some of the culprits on video, allowing the Meeker Police Department to track them down and tell them to come collect what they dumped.
