November 16, 2022 |
Rawlins City Council Tuesday night revoked the trash hauler license of Dirty Boyz Sanitation.
The reason: Dirty Boyz is violating the ordinance requiring commercial trash haulers to take municipal waste collected in the city to the the solid waste transfer station. The flow control ordinance was put into place in 2016 as a way to pay for the state-mandated requirement of the city landfill.
City Attorney Gwendolyn Wade reviewed how Dirty Boyz stopped hauling trash to the city landfill in late summer and fall of this year. In response to a notice from her office, Dirty Boyz admitted that they were not complying with the notice and stated they would continue to haul waste to a site in Erie, Colorado. In its response, the trash hauling company redefined trash as a “commodity” and its personal property. The city attorney said the company was going about its legal claim the wrong way, outside of the law.
Pictured above: File photo of Dirty Boyz trash receptacles in Rawlins. Photo by Cali O’Hare/Bigfoot 99.
Through its attorney, Amy Bach, Dirty Boyz denied that her client is hauling waste to Colorado. Bach argued that the trash hauler is taking a recyclable material out of the city to extend its life in a planet-friendly way.
Dirty Boyz fought the flow control ordinance since 2016, and lost its battle in court. The earth-friendly process at the Erie Landfill is a new legal argument.
Mayor Terry Weickum noted the city is losing $50 to $60,000 a month in tipping fees because of Dirty Boyz refusal to comply with the ordinance. The mayor said city residents could see a $50 or more increase in their landfill fee as a result.
After two hours of circuitous and contentious discussion, council rejected a motion from Vice Mayor Jacqueline Wells to postpone the matter. It then voted on a motion from Councilman Chris Weisenburg to revoke the license.
The vote to revoke the trash haulers license passed 4-2. City residents who use Dirty Boyz will likely be contacted by the company in the coming days. Revocation of the license means Dirty Boyz can no longer collect garbage in the city.
