Waste Management Inc.’s Eloisa Orozco, area communications manager for Southern California, confirmed today that significant progress has been made in eliminating the green waste pile at the Idyllwild Transfer Station.

Without a scale at the Idyllwild Transfer schedule, Orozco said it was difficult to determine the tonnage on site at the beginning of June, but she said that from June 2 through June 21, 565.3 tons of green waste had been removed, reducing the pile by what she believes to be more than two-thirds. Orozco said that Ecology Trucking, with which WMI contracts to haul waste off the Hill, had increased trips to Idyllwild from several per week at the beginning of the month to an average of 25 to 30 recently.

Ecology made 29 trips on one day, Saturday, June 21, she said, in an effort to reduce the size of a pile that prior clearing efforts had not dented — since as much as had been hauled off was being replaced by new material at the beginning of June.

“What we didn’t want to do was cut off residents’ ability to bring in their green waste,” said Orozco, noting her company’s pleasure in how much progress has been made recently.

And after checking with the Transfer Station’s Sharon Davis, Orozco said input of new green waste has also slowed from early June levels.

All in all, for those concerned with the fire danger, the large pile had presented, the news seems good, at least for now. Orozco said WMI was committed to scheduling as many trips by Ecology as would be necessary to continue to reduce the buildup.