1. Transfer Station Design
Laura J. Weber
Solid Waste Project Manager
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

2. What is the difference between these two containers?
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

3. ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course
Presentation Summary
Types of Transfer Stations
Designing for the Needs of Your Community
SRMT Example
Economics of Transfer Station Design
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

4. Types of Transfer Stations
Many factors affect design
Tons/day to flow through
Waste storage
Processes to recover material or prepare (i.e. shred or bale) for shipment
Type of vehicles – collection & transfer
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

5. Types of Transfer Stations Con’t
3 Sizes
Small – less than 100 tons/day
Medium – tons/day
Large – more than 500 tons/day
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

6. Types of Transfer Station Con’t
Factors Impacting Size
Total tons/day of material to flow through
Size & capacity of collection vehicles using the facility
Length of time materials at the facility (storage space)
Loading & unloading times
Peak conditions; i.e. maximum # of vehicles in facility at once (design for this)
Type of processing to occur
Transfer trailer capacity & waiting time for loading
Hours of station operation
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

7. Types of Transfer Station Con’t
Direct-Discharge (Direct Dump)
Consist of drop off area where materials are placed directly in the collection container
Two design types:
Two operating floors – upper & lower
Materials are placed into hoppers on the upper level and fall into container on the lower level
Open-top containers
Materials are placed directly into containers
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

8. Transfer Station Types Con’t
Examples of Direct-Discharge Stations
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

9. Types of Transfer Stations Con’t
Platform/Pit
Consist of an upper & lower level
Upper level is a tipping floor where materials are dumped
Lower level contains open-top trailers & materials are pushed into them from the upper level
Open top trailer can be either compacting or non-compacting
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

10. Types of Transfer Station Con’t
Platform/Pit Designs
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

11. Types of Transfer Station Con’t
Platform/Pit Designs
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

12. Transfer Station Types Con’t
SRMT Transfer Station
Combination of Direct Dump & Pit/Platform
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

13. Transfer Station Types Con’t
Advantages & Disadvantages of Types
There are many
The Decisions Maker’s Guide to Solid Waste Management provides a good list, Chapter 4 page 4-18
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

14. What Type Does Your Community Need?
Determining what type of transfer station you need is dependent upon many factors
First, define the problem that the transfer station will solve
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

15. Determining Type Needed Con’t
Ask these questions
What are the community needs & desires?
What types & quantities of materials will you collect? Will process (i.e. baling & shredding) any materials at your facility?
What is your service area?
Will you accept both residential & commercial wastes or just one or the other?
What are other local tip fees and can your facility be competitive?
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

16. Determining Type Needed
Questions Con’t
What will be your days & hours of operation?
What types of trucks & size will use your facility? What types of transfer vehicles will you use?
Do you really need a transfer station?
Experts agree that the disposal sites must be at least miles from the facility before a transfer station is economically justified.
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

17. Determining Type Needed
Conducting feasibility & waste characterization studies are the best methods for gaining answers to the questions.
SRMT Example
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

18. ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course
SRMT Example
1995 Feasibility Study
Door-to-door surveys were performed with both residents and businesses
Established that the community wanted a Tribally owned & operated solid waste system
People were using open burning & dumping because they didn’t like using non-reservation haulers
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

19. ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course
SRMT Example
Methods Used for Waste Characterization
Pounds/person/household
Volume-based waste audits
Survey questions in feasibility study
These methods estimated our total waste generation rate = 10 tons/day
Current tons/day at transfer station = tons/day
Transfer Station is designed for 25 tons/day
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

20. Economics of Transfer Station Design
Factors to consider when developing design costs
Engineering work
Personnel costs
Infrastructure costs, i.e. buildings, roads, property, site preparation work, construction, soil borings, etc. etc.
Full Cost Accounting (FCA) Method is best – will discuss more in session 7
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course

21. Questions? Laura J. Weber Solid Waste Project Manager
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe
M-F, 6:30 AM -2:30 PM EST
Questions?
ITEP Tribal Transfer Station Course