Executive Insight

As our county continues to grow and experience residential development, we face challenges. These are usually easily identifiable: roads, emergency services, public utilities, etc. One that is not discussed often is solid waste. More people, more trash. This is compounded by the fact that more people are ordering online. Online grocery sales increased 27.3% from 2024 to 2025 alone. These orders often come with a good share of plastics, wrapping, and cardboard. Our Solid Waste Director and I have discussed various ways to be more efficient and more practical about hours of operation and flow among our convenience centers. To help ameliorate concerns, we will be adjusting hours at some of our centers. Cassville and Gum Springs Mountain Convenience Centers are currently the only facilities that are open 6 days per week. The others are open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. In an effort to give other areas of the County expanded hours, Doyle, Bakers Crossroads, and The Rock House will be moving to six days per week as well, adding Tuesdays and Thursdays. The reasoning here is to give each quadrant of the County one center that is open six days. These centers were also chosen because they are closest to what we would call “Full-Service Centers.” Meaning they have a compactor for larger amounts of household garbage and other items such as cardboard, metal, wood, furniture, appliances, oils, etc. 

In addition to those changes in hours of operation at the three locations, Cassville will remain open six days per week. However, Gum Springs Mountain will reduce to four days, removing Tuesday and Thursday. Gum Springs Mountain is household trash only, with no compactor and expanded services. So the needs on the west end of the county will be directed toward Cassville until additions are made at Gum Springs. 

These changes will begin on Tuesday, December 15. This is, hopefully, the first phase of more to come. We anticipate expanded schedules at two other centers soon as well, most likely Highway 84 and Highway 42. We will allow these changes time to settle and see how they redirect flow and operations. We have other items on the horizon that we hope to address soon in the Solid Waste Department!