The Authority was established in 1988; at that time unlicensed and unlined landfills dominated the Upper Peninsula. State efforts to close these landfills prompted local communities to cooperatively develop state of the art waste management systems. All of Marquette County's 22 constituent municipalities are now members of the Authority. The Authority operates under  terms specified in an Intergovernmental Agreement and it's bylaws. The landfill opened for business in late December 1989; a total of 849,121 tons of waste ( including 8302 tons  ash/sludge) has been placed in the landfill through December 31, 2005.

The Authority's construction permit is the master plan of a landfill and can be valid for the life of the facility. A new construction permit was approved March 6, 1996. This permit extends landfill life, decreases costs, and protects the interests of Marquette County residents. This permit and continued improvements in operations has extended the life of the facility to about the year 2055. This 53-year estimate is based on the permitted landfill volume of the 1995 construction permit, 2001
tonnage, and density estimate. Increases in operating efficiency will extend facility life beyond that point. Increases in tonnage coming into the facility will decrease its life.

Tonnage
A total of 54,827.98 tons of Type II and Type III waste was processed at the facility during Fiscal Year 2004-05. during calendar year 2005, a total of 55,933.46 tons was landfilled The most tonnage received on any single day occurred on September 6th with 414.55 tons landfilled. The average daily tonnage for 2005 was 219 tons versus 246 in 2004. 72 percent of the material the landfill received was Type II material (baleable household waste) and 28 percent was Type III material (bulky non-baleable construction debris).

Plan of Operations

A. Definitions:

1. 'Solid Waste' shall mean all non-hazardous, non-toxic Type II and Type III material regulated by Act 641.
2. 'Municipality' shall mean a Constituent, User, or Additional User municipalities as defined in Article I of the Intergovernmental Agreement.
3. 'Solid Waste Hauler' shall mean all owners and operators of solid waste transporting equipment that are authorized to use the landfill.
4. 'Primary Hauler' is the one designated hauler per municipality who can be directly billed by the Authority and meets the requirements as defined by this document (Section I.D.4.' and I.F.2.), and a primary hauler agreement between the Municipality serviced and the Authority.
5. 'Tipping Fee' shall mean the fee calculated and assessed on a per ton basis for disposal at the landfill. The tipping fee shall cover the annual operating and maintenance expenditures as set forth by the Authority in connection with the adoption of a budget for each fiscal year. The tipping fee shall include provision for payment of future landfill expansion costs.
6. 'Annual Fixed Cost' shall mean the cost incurred in the initial start-up of the landfill. The Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority's debt service payment for the purchase of land, engineering, legal, start-up, site improvements, dewatering system, access roads, buildings, excavation, liners, equipment, and interest incurred to finance construction.
7. 'Mixed Loads' shall mean type 11 and type III waste that is mixed together such that it is more expensive to handle or becomes hazardous to personnel or equipment. Pipe, large or thick pieces of wood, abrasives, etc. that are dumped on the tipping floor will be charged a mixed load fee. Paper, cardboard, plastic or similar materials unless property prepared, are particularly difficult and expensive to deal with in the type III area and will be charged the extra fee.
8. 'Special Waste' requires special handling and are charged a fee above the tipping fee that reflects the cost of disposal.
9. 'Commingled Loads' are loads that arrive at the landfill containing material from more than one municipality. This is only acceptable if responsibility billing is defined as per a 'designated primary hauler agreement ' and that all parties involved are informed and agree.

B. Hours of Operations:

1. The normal daily operating hours shall be 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and by appointment.

C. Deliveries:

1. All material shall be weighed prior to using the facility for disposal. The Authority will provide a State certified weigh scale at the landfill entrance area.
   
   
2. The operation of the State certified weigh scale. A vehicle carrying waste drives into the facility and approaches the weigh scale. Licensed solid waste haulers will activate the weigh system by inserting a specially coded identification card into an outdoor terminal. Licensed haulers that have not been issued an identification card, will have their data manually entered into the system. After the weight and other load data is recorded, a weigh ticket is issued to the driver by the terminal. The hauler will then retrieve the three part ticket. The ticket will be authorization to use the landfill disposal facilities and will also provide a statement of the transaction for billing purposes.
   
   
3. Tare weights will be established initially as part of the licensing procedure. Tare weights will be checked periodically by Authority personnel to verify and maintain vehicle weight data.
   
   
4. Transactions can only be voided by a representative of the Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority. In every case, each and every authorized vehicle passing over the scale shall result in a permanent record in the computer system.
   
   
5. Special wastes that require extensive handling procedures shall be delivered only after prior authorization is given to landfill operating personnel. Proper notice shall be by 2:00 p.m. on the day preceding delivery.
   
   
6. Waste will be separated into Type II and Type III before it is disposed of at the landfill. Some Type II may be routed to the Type III area by landfill staff for the efficiency of the operation.

D. Billing Procedures:

1. The solid waste hauler will retain two copies of the original weigh ticket. One copy shall be for the constituent municipality and one copy for the waste hauler. The waste hauler shall be responsible for delivery of the municipality's copy. The ticket will constitute a statement of the transaction.
   
   
2. The Marquette County Solid Waste Authority will invoice the Constituent Municipality, Additional User Municipality, or a Municipality's designated primary hauler each month for all transaction statements accumulated during the monthly accounting period. A Municipality's designated primary hauler may be direct billed only if the sponsoring Municipality guarantees payment of any amounts direct billed to it's primary hauler. Invoices will be due by the end of the following month. All aging invoices beyond 30 days will be charged 1% per month interest. Invoices that are 90 days overdue will be presented to the Board of Trustees for review. The Board of Trustees shall consider remedies for collection at their first meeting following the 90 day aging period. Municipalities and/or a designated primary haulers will be notified of past due bills. Each Municipality and their contractors will abide by the User Agreement of the Municipality.
   
   
3. Fees for Type II waste, Type III waste, special waste, asbestos, tires, mixed loads, penalty charges, etc. are listed on the current fee schedule. Increases in the fee schedule will go into effect 30 days after board approval.