Flood-related debris cannot be accepted at Haywood County Landfills

Haywood County -- Haywood County Government Community News August 20, 2021Flood-related debris cannot be accepted

at Haywood County Landfills

Based on advice and consultation with North Carolina’s Emergency Management officials in Asheville and Raleigh, Haywood County has issued this statement concerning debris removal from the flood areas in the county:

Haywood County cannot accept mixed debris at the White Oak Landfill or the Materials Recovery Facility in Clyde. The facilities’ state permits do not allow metal mixed with wood or demolition debris. Trucks or trailers arriving at the facilities which have these mixed loads must be turned away.

What should property owners do with their debris now?

We are advising Cruso and Bethel residents of the need to keep this debris on their sites until we can announce the pickup process. We know this is hard advice to take and it is hard advice for us to give. But we have to take the steps to properly dispose of this waste and debris. Please do not place any debris in highway rights of way – this is hazardous to travelers and interferes with cleanup machinery.

Where will the debris be accepted?

We have been working with local landowners in the Bethel area to find at least two or more staging areas, outside the Pigeon River flood plain.

It will probably take a few more days to get staging areas established. Before the staging areas can be opened, the state has to issue solid-waste permits, but we have fast-tracked the state permit process and we have been assured that the state will give the new permits their highest priority.

How will the debris be processed?

The county is engaging an experienced emergency debris contractor to handle the operation of the staging areas. Property owners will need to separate their debris on their site. The county’s debris contractor will be making pickups from the state highway right of way for properly sorted debris.

Once the staging areas are established, the contractor will set up machinery to grind up the wooden debris. The contractor will have to separate metal, concrete, and hazardous waste and dispose of the different categories properly.

We will announce the establishment of the staging areas as soon as we can.

We understand that everyone is ready to start putting their lives back together. Haywood County is working hard to provide a solution to the debris issue.