County officials cut the ribbon on a new solid waste transfer station at the Ivy Materials Utilization Center (MUC) on Dick Woods Road August 23, marking the culmination of a years-long push to increase capacity and streamline the disposal process for haulers both big and small. The 11,600- square-foot facility features a strong, coated concrete floor where dumped municipal solid waste can be easily scraped into openings along one edge, which deposit the trash directly into semi-trailer trucks staged in a tunnel below.
A circular design and separate lines for commercial and residential customers will speed the process, and a 35-foot-tall roof will keep the trash dry. “This facility will allow us to manage liquids much better,” said Phil McKalips, Director of Solid Waste for the Rivanna Solid Waste Authority (RSWA). “There are floor drains and a pump system, so even in the heaviest downpour there’s a much reduced risk of leaching outside the building and into the soil and groundwater.”
Plans for a recycling convenience center at the Ivy MUC site, similar to the McIntire Recycling Center in Charlottesville, are on the immediate horizon as well. “Absolutely, we’ll get there,” said Ann Mallek, White Hall District representative and Chair of the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. “The funding has been set aside, and after the RSWA Master Plan is completed in November, we hope to set it up as quickly as possible.”
Rain over the last couple of weeks has delayed the final paving work needed to complete the circular driveway for the transfer station, but Rivanna Authorities Executive Director Bill Mawyer expects the new facility to be open for business in early September.
