At its Aug. 23 meeting, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors approved a change to the days the local grinding facility is open. Beginning Friday, Sept. 2, the facility will be open three days per week — all during the week and no weekend days.
The new schedule will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and closed for an hour between noon and 1 p.m. for lunch, according to Lisa Thompson, program administrator of the county’s Department of Waste Resources.
The department initiated the changes after attending recent Mountain Area Safety Taskforce meetings. Several local agencies had urged the change to offer contractors more opportunities to dispose of green and woody waste after abating local properties.
“Being open during the week is pretty much what I’ve been getting from the community,” Thompson said. “It’s what everyone wants.”
During the past year, the facility received about 7 tons of woody waste from six customers each day, according to Waste Management Director Hans Kernkamp’s memo to the board.
“Residents of the Idyllwild community who pay parcel fees for trash service under Franchise Area 8 will continue to be able to go to the Idyllwild Transfer Station at no charge,” Kernkamp emphasized in his memo.
The grinding facilty is on Highway 243 about 1 mile south of the Idyllwild Transfer Station.
A county press release stated, “The grinding facility accepts wood waste affected by the bark beetle. Prohibited waste includes household waste, appliances, e-waste, metals, tires and other hazardous, explosive and medical wastes. Customers who use the facility pay a per-ton rate with pre-paid accounts.”
