Answer Man: How does the Buncombe County landfill protect against rats? Bears?

ASHEVILLE - Today's burning, trashy question is about the Buncombe County landfill and how it protects against scavenging wildlife. Got a question for Answer Man or Answer Woman? Email Interim Executive Editor Karen Chávez at KChavez@citizentimes.com and your question could appear in an upcoming column.

Question: The Buncombe county landfill is a massive facility. I would think with all the garbage that is being placed in that facility that there would be a rodent problem. What kind of preventive measures are used to reduce or eliminate a problem with rats? Do bears visit the site looking for food? I've seen crows and turkey vultures, but I assume they are not a problem. How many acres are there in the landfill and how many years is it expected to still be able to take material? Has a new site down the road been designated when the time comes?

Answer: To start, let's focus on the bear thing, because bears seem to be all over our newspaper recently.

Surprisingly, unlike the rest of the county, bears are not an issue at the 604-acre county landfill, which is located at 85 Panther Branch Road in Alexander, according to county spokesperson Lillian Govus. She attributes this lack of bear activity to a perimeter fence.

Bear stories:

• ‘Bear poaching is rampant in WNC,’ Advocate says of black bears found mutilated in Woodfin

• NC Wildlife Commission investigating dead, mutilated bears in Woodfin

• Word from the Smokies: Bears sometimes cross roads to get our garbage

• NCDOT reviewing wildlife crash data on I-26 after Asheville woman's collision, petition

To deter the other scavengers, who might have an easier time passing that fence, county Solid Waste Department workers cover incoming waste with either soil or something called Posi-shell, which Govus said is a clay and paint mixture that is made in-house with recycled paint. State and federal guidelines require the landfill to cover the trash daily, she said.

"Our operating teams do an excellent job processing, compacting, and covering the waste," Govus said in an email.

To the second part of the question, Govus said the landfill is still around 20 years away from being full despite being created back in 1997. At the time, the landfill was only expected to last 30 years, but through diversion methods the lifespan has been extended, she said.

"With such a large estimated remaining life on the current landfill, another site has not yet been designated," Govus said. "However, reducing, reusing, composting, and recycling is at the forefront of our waste management plan and education/outreach to help further extend the landfill’s life."

The landfill has 10 "cells" for waste, and the county is only on cell six, she said.

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The county has a number of free composting drop-offs where residents can bring leftover food scraps for free, located at the landfill, Murphy Oakley Recreation Center and Library, Stephens-Lee Recreation Center and a new location at West Asheville Library.

The landfill also accepts quite a few different types of items for recycling, including the standard metal cans, No. 1-7-type plastic, glass bottles and jars, aluminum from food trays and papers of all kinds, even in carton form, according to the county's website. Shredded paper, however, is not currently accepted, the website says.

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In addition to the normal recyclable goods, the county can also recycle other "miscellaneous items," some of which come with a fee. Some of these items seem reasonable, like cooking and motor oils, the website says, but the county will also recycle stranger things.

If you have any farm animals laying around, they will cost $50 each to recycle.

Dumping trash at the landfill also comes with a fee, the website says. For residents, 33-gallon bags cost $2 per bag to dispose of, and bags under 33-gallons cost $1 per bag. For bigger loads, like pick-up trucks, vans or small trailers, the county charges $43.75 per ton with a $10 minimum.

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Commercial and franchise haulers have different prices, broken down further by type. For more information about waste disposal, recycling or more information about the landfill, visit: www.buncombecounty.org/governing/depts/solid-waste/landfill.aspx

Christian Smith is the general assignment reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times. Questions or comments? Contact him at RCSmith@gannett.com or 828-274-2222.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Buncombe County landfill avoids bears and rats