Legislators in Sullivan County are ramping up efforts to crack down on commercial waste haulers who illegally transport garbage out of the county, in violation of the county's “flow control” law that requires waste generated in the county to be disposed of in-county.

Legislators say the crackdown is being driven by concerns that the trash delivered to the county's contracted landfill, Seneca Meadows, could fall short of the amount required by the county's agreement with the landfill.

“If we don’t make our tonnage obligations,” Public Works Committee chair Joe Perrello explained, “our rates can increase.”

The flow control law, Article IV, Section 171-6, Part B of the Sullivan County Administrative Code, has been on the books for decades. But recently, officials have learned that some companies are illegally transporting waste to Orange County or Pennsylvania, where tipping fees are lower.

Late last year, the county raised tipping fees for waste removal companies at Sullivan County-operated transfer stations. The fee for municipal solid waste (MSW) went up from $120 to $136.50 per ton and construction & demolition debris (C&D) went up to $150 per ton.

Perrello said the rate increase was needed because exportation costs are going up. The goal is to distribute the cost of the waste management system more fairly across users, rather than relying on taxpayers to subsidize it.

Commercial users, solid waste collectors or haulers found guilty of violating the County's flow control law are guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by fines of up to $500, $1,000 and $1,500 for first, second and subsequent offenses, respectively, or imprisonment for up to six months.