Sumpter residents need to buy vest, hardhat to dump free at landfill

In an Oct. 26 letter, Sumpter Township was informed of enforcement of a regulation at Carleton Farms Landfill that was to take effect on Nov. 1 and residents would no longer be loaned a vest and hardhat to enter the site.
Brian Josupeit, Carleton Farms Operations Manager, wrote that the landfill will no longer be loaning HIGH VIZ hard hats and vests to residents “due to the safety concern of our customers and our scale personnel during the handling of the soiled personal protection equipment.”
In the past, under the host-community agreement, residents were able to take trash to the landfill and deposit it there without charge.
He said the rule is as follows: “All customers are required by Republic Services Policy to wear a HIGH-VIZ vest and hard hat while onsite anywhere outside of their vehicle.”
He said the cost of a hard hat and vest purchased as a kit is $21 and if the customer returns at a later date without their own personal protection equipment, they will be required to re-purchase another kit before they will be allowed to enter the site.
“This has been posted here at the landfill for a while now,” he wrote to Sumpter Deputy Supervisor Karen Armatis. “If you think you need another 30 days to let the township folks know about the changes, that will be fine.”
Deputy Armatis got the deadline extended to Dec. 1.
But when there was no announcement of this to the public at township meetings, outgoing Treasurer Peggy Morgan, who found out about the change last week, called Josupeit and got the effective date pushed to Jan. 1, 2019.
Morgan said she was at the township hall for some paperwork having to do with her ending employment as an elected official when she observed two senior citizens who were being told by a clerk that they would have to have $21 to enter the dump. They said their car was packed full of trash to dump, but they didn’t have $21. Morgan suggested they try the dump even though it was past what they were told was the Nov. 1 deadline. They later reported the landfill loaned them the personal protection equipment so they could dump.
The clerk told Morgan the Oct. 26 letter from the landfill manager was posted on the township bulletin board in the hallway.
Township attorney Rob Young has announced at township meetings that he is working on a new contract with Republic Services, owner of Carleton Farms, but he gave no details of the talks.
Jennifer Price, of the Van Buren Township department that gives information on its landfill, said there is no requirement for a hard hat and vest when bringing trash for free dumping at Woodland Meadows, but they do have a staging area for such trash and residents do not go to the top of the hill for most materials.