(Photo Source: Cortland County website).
Haulers using the Cortland County landfill could be subject to new guidelines starting next year, including a waiting period in their vehicle and wearing an orange vest.
The new policies were reviewed by the County Legislature Highway Committee recently and unanimously approved. They will now be reviewed by the full legislature at the Dec. 22 meeting.
“We have people putting cigarettes out (at the landfill),” said County highway superintendent Charles Sudbrink, noting that no smoking will also be part of the policies for haulers moving forward.
Subdrink noted that the State Department of Environmental Conservation has also made it a point to suggest vests at the work site in recent times.
“We provide all PPE (personal protective equipment) for our employees, but haulers have their own,” he said. “If they do not have their own, we’re (going to) have a case of them out.”
Having haulers wait in their vehicles while in line is another policy expected to be implemented in January.
“The problem is when you get the days that there’s a little bit of a wait and you have three or four haulers standing in the middle road talking to each other, and every truck and other commercial haulers are trying to get out,” Subdrink said.
Subdrink also emphasized the need for haulers to treat landfill employees with respect as part of the new set of guidelines.
“A letter went out to all commercial haulers on Nov. 30, pursuant to the zero tolerance of any harassment of any employees, including landfill and recycling center and notify them that hauler permits will be revoked if they’re harassing employees,” said County legislature clerk Savanna Hempstead.
Legislative Majority Leader George Wagner (R-LD-15) said he would like to see an inclusion of that zero tolerance policy in the haulers policy.
“This is the whole idea of having everyone sign it so that everyone has knowledge that we’re not going to tolerate this type of behavior,” he said.
Legislature chair Kevin Fitch (R-LD-8) said the policy should be seen as a sign of respect.
“It’s just putting everybody on an even field,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what hauler. The haulers that have respect in doing this, they’ll sign it because they don’t have an issue with it. So what this is is just to give everybody the exact same notice about workplace violence. It’s not just our policy, it’s a state law.”
Those found in violation of the policies could receive a warning. Any escalation would then result in haulers losing their hauling permit, according to discussions at Tuesday’s meeting.
