By Marcy Stamper
People who still have “ash and trash” to dispose of after their property burned during the Carlton Complex Fire can get the disposal fees at the Okanogan County landfill waived if they make arrangements with volunteers from the Brewster-Pateros Long Term Recovery Organization (LTRO).
Ash and trash are the dense, consolidated materials left after everything burned. A standard pickup truck load runs about $400 at the landfill, according to Carlene Anders, executive director of the Brewster-Pateros LTRO.
The Okanogan County commissioners adopted a resolution in November that eliminates fees at the central landfill in Okanogan for burned debris being handled by volunteers with the Brewster-Pateros group. The commissioners wanted to help people and communities affected by the fire with economic recovery, according to the resolution.
The fee-waiver arrangement was worked out with the Brewster-Pateros group, but anyone in the county who has burned debris from the fire can qualify for the free pick-up and disposal, as long as the person goes through one of the three disaster case managers connected with the LTROs, said Anders.
Once the case managers ensure that people have no other coverage, such as private insurance, to pay for disposal, they will make arrangements for volunteers to collect the trash at a particular date and time. People cannot simply leave their trash by the side of the road, because this would constitute illegal dumping, said Anders.
Coordinating with volunteers to collect and remove the debris allows the Brewster-Pateros LTRO to put the volunteer hours toward reimbursement through the public-assistance grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said Anders.
Because of the requirements of FEMA’s reimbursement program, people cannot move or dispose of their own trash — everything must be handled by registered volunteers, said Anders.
The window for reimbursement through FEMA is the end of March, so all arrangements to remove and dispose of burned debris must be made by then, even though collection and disposal may be complicated by snow.
People with other types of fire debris, such as concrete foundations or burned trees that pose a risk to a structure, can also coordinate with the case managers to get help with removal.
People who need assistance with trash disposal should call a disaster case manager, either in Twisp at 997-2050 or in Pateros at (509) 923-1979.
Metal disposal
Metal debris is being handled separately by Manthy Salcido, a community member who lost her house in the fire and has been working with volunteers to collect metal and recycle it as scrap. Arrangements to dispose of metal can be made separately through Salcido by calling (509) 449-2151.
