By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
At least one member of the Del Rio City Council has expressed concerns about the
current operation of the city landfill by a contractor, saying if the contractor is not
compacting the trash correctly, the company should be fined.
(Photo by Karen Gleason)
Concerns over the operation of the landfill were discussed during a special council work
session on July 15 to discuss fixed asset purchases and funding of capital improvement
projects in the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 city budget.
After discussing a number of capital improvement projects, city budget analyst Flavio
Aguilar went over projects under the city’s refuse fund and landfill, including planned
updating of the scale house at the landfill, expansion projects for the landfill cells, the
closure of Cell #5 and the design of Cell #6.
“That’s a major project we will have to fund somehow,” Aguilar told the council.
City Manager Shawna Burkhart told the council, “We have recently gone out for bids on
refuse. We are very concerned and continue to express our concerns related to
compaction at the landfill and making sure that the use of our cells are as tightly
compacted as possible so we can get the most use out of them, and currently we’ve had
moments of time where we were not having a compactor used, but a bulldozer used.
“Those are disheartening and of great concern to us, and we continue to express that to
the contractor,” the city manager added.
Councilman J.P. Sanchez asked, “Ms. Burkhart, are they being fined?”
“No, they are not,” Burkhart replied.
“I think that’s something that will grab their attention. In prior years, they were being
fined for not getting the compaction that’s required. I have noticed when I go to the dump
myself that the cell that’s being used right now is rapidly – rapidly – getting filled,”
Sanchez said.
“And I think it’s because there is no compaction,” Burkhart said.
“I don’t see any compaction going on. All I see is the cell being filled and trash being
thrown on top of the other trash. Who is actually in charge of doing the compaction,
Greg?” Sanchez asked City Public Works Director Greg Velazquez.
Velazquez replied, “That is the current contractor that is out at the landfill, operating the
landfill. Those concerns. . . came back up. The new cell . . . was completed in 2022. That
cell is supposed to last 12 years. I’ve gone out there, and I’ve expressed my concerns to
our staff, administration, in regards to compaction, in regards to what I see is being
dumped at the landfill, at the current cell, and complaints from our constituents.”
Velazquez continued, “However, you know it’s due to lack of compaction efforts in
regards to the current contractor that is on site. We’ve noticed that the compactor is
sometimes not operating as it is supposed to, on a daily basis. It’s out for a month, two
months. The longest was three months, I believe. Right now we’re sitting at three
months.”
The city’s current contractor to collect household trash and operate the landfill is
Platform Waste Solutions. Platform took over the contract after the city’s former
contractor for the service, Red River Waste Solutions, declared bankruptcy.
Velazquez added, “But to answer your question, Platform took over a contract from the
previous contractor, so the contract was with the previous contractor. The contract is not
with the current contractor, so you have standard operating procedure (SOP); you have
your contract and you have your SOP.
“The SOP is everything they need to comply with in regards to TCEQ regulations, which
is compaction ratios. . .Those fines are in the SOP. However, my contract is not with
Platform at this current time. It was with Red River,” Velazquez added.
City Attorney Ana Markowski Smith told the council, “As you know, Red River filed for
bankruptcy in the bankruptcy court. They approved the assumption of the contract, so the
terms are exactly the same, and they can be enforced.”
“So if they can be enforced, we’ll look at that SOP, but yes, I’ve seen stuff that shouldn’t
be placed in the landfill. I don’t think we’re going to get 12 years out of it, and I’ve
expressed that to Rene (Maldonado) who is the landfill coordinator. So we need to hold
(the company) liable in regards to the SOP, if that is the case,” Velazquez said.
Sanchez reiterated he goes to the landfill often and has never seen compaction being
done.
“It’s going to be an early fill for that cell, and these cells aren’t cheap,” Sanchez said.
“No, it’s millions of dollars,” Velazquez agreed.
“We need to do something about it, and our legal’s told us we can do something about it,
and we’re going to have to hold those people to it,” Sanchez said.
“Yes, and we will,” Velazquez said.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com .
