There have been no complaints since the transfer station opened June 2, a few days after receiving permit approval from the Department of Environmental Protection, Yahner said.

“I’m not certain people even know we’re open,” he said. “I haven’t got one phone call or complaint.”

Veolia’s municipal waste collection trucks serving the Clarion County area use the facility, of course, as do about ten other waste hauling companies, Yahner said. The facility is handling about 175 tons a day.

The facility is permitted to accept an average of 350 tons of waste per day, with a maximum of up to 500 tons on any given day.

The station is currently open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Yahner said it may open for a half day on Saturdays in the future.

The station is open not just to licensed trash haulers, but to anyone needing disposal services for municipal wastes from homes and businesses and for construction and demolition waste materials.

A one-time disposal costs $66 per ton; those using the station on a regular basis may be able to negotiate a lower rate, Yahner said.

Those with questions about the service can call Andrea at 226-4602, he added.

The transfer station is located in the former Beckwith heavy machinery repair garage along Route 66 in Paint Township about a mile north of I-80 Exit 60.

Veolia ES Solid Waste of Pennsylvania announced plans for the transfer station in February of 2007 and applied for a permit in April of 2007.

DEP held a public meeting in August of 2007, and local residents expressed concerns about the facility’s potential impact on economic development, property values and quality-of-life issues such as odors, noise, rodents, birds and litter.

In February of this year, DEP officials completed the “harms and benefits review,” and determined the benefits would outweigh the harms. The DEP approved the operating permit and associated stormwater permits May 30.

Most recently, Veolia submitted “as-builts” – drawings of the facility as it actually exists – on July 3. DEP officials at the regional office in Meadville are now reviewing the drawings.

Last year, Veolia purchased the trash collection services connected to County Environmental Services at the County Landfill facility in Farmington Township , in the expectation that County Landfill would close, which it did at the end of May.

Veolia has applied to DEP for permission to enlarge its Greentree Landfill, and the agency said May 29 it determined the benefits outweigh the harms for the landfill expansion.