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Tyler7692

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have about a 350 foot long ditchline that has 7 foot cattails growing up that I am to cut and remove. Any ideas on hourly rate? (I know, everyones will be different... blah blah blah) I'm thinking around $40.00. Its just weed eater work (with brushcutter blade) and labor to rake and remove. Dirty, wet job though.
 
That thing is gonna get heavy. Id go $50 an hour to cut and load up plus a fee to haul and dump. If i was getting wet id go even higher.
 
I have heard those are endangered and illegal to remove around these parts. Its also illegal to remove waste from another property and dispose of them on another property even personal property. Illegal landfill. I heard the fine is hefty. I personally don't have the balls to do either.

I wonder if these laws pertain to you?

If this is legal in your area and if I had to bid this project. I would charge 60-100 dollars per hour. Plus a dumping fee. Even if it is free for you to dump, it cost you time, fuel and rent to use your own dump trailer.
 
it may be compost, but their are epa laws and regulations against this type of thing. Your allowed to dump anything you want from the land you removed it from, but the act of removing it from one parcel to another parcel is illegal and strict. I have researched this and most cities have similar laws.
 
it may be compost, but their are epa laws and regulations against this type of thing. Your allowed to dump anything you want from the land you removed it from, but the act of removing it from one parcel to another parcel is illegal and strict. I have researched this and most cities have similar laws.
It isn't an EPA thing, then it would be the same for everyone. Like CDL's. lol

It is illegal to dump yard waste in with regular refuse in MI. Although I think you can pay extra and they will allow it. Might be wrong on that, not sure. We started composting. Not illegal to dump from one property to another that I've ever heard of.

What about clean fill? You aren't referring to excavation, are you? Hauling sand or gravel from the pit to a construction site?

Not sure how cattails could be considered endangered, although they do get crowded out by phragmites. They aren't endangered here.
 
it may be compost, but their are epa laws and regulations against this type of thing. Your allowed to dump anything you want from the land you removed it from, but the act of removing it from one parcel to another parcel is illegal and strict. I have researched this and most cities have similar laws.
I think you're misunderstanding the law. At least I don't get that interpretation out of what I'm reading:

http://dca.ga.gov/environmental/kgb/illegal_dumping.html
 
Impressive, in MI it would have been a week or month long ordeal to get a non-definitive answer from anyone.

Not sure where exactly you're at, but your rate doesn't sound unreasonable. Plus dumping.
 
You stated removing the cattails?? Is this with a shovel and getting up to your arse in water?? Just cutting them off with bladed line trimmers isn't going to get rid of them!
Dealing with still water hazards and possible snakes......this is considered a hazard and will warrant 60.00 per man hour or in my case 175.00 per crew hour of 3. Then they will get a tip fee for load haul off. This stuff will be heavy and is tipped on the scale. Your state or local dumpage authorities will tell you their basic scale fee. Add your profit and add this to your bill. Add tax if applicable.
You didn't say how wide this ditch is either.
 
And I called concerning the EPA law. The EPA will get involved depending on what is dumped. Vary rare. If yard debris is dumped near a waterbody there are several agencies that will get involved. Corp of Engineers, etc.
 
I am impressed that the state of Indiana isn't investigating your personal dumpsite. Whether you are dumping for fillage or composting.......The EPA and the PC&E will want to bring you up to speed on the laws concerning this subject. A local competitor in my region has been battling these agencies for a couple years now and has spent boocoo's money on attorney and court fees. Sometimes, you must consider if off site dumping is worth it!!!!
Around here all it takes is a anonymous call to turn you in for off site dumping. The word off site pertains to any thing dumped off from a approved state inspected area.
 
I am impressed that the state of Indiana isn't investigating your personal dumpsite. Whether you are dumping for fillage or composting.......The EPA and the PC&E will want to bring you up to speed on the laws concerning this subject. A local competitor in my region has been battling these agencies for a couple years now and has spent boocoo's money on attorney and court fees. Sometimes, you must consider if off site dumping is worth it!!!!
Around here all it takes is a anonymous call to turn you in for off site dumping. The word off site pertains to any thing dumped off from a approved state inspected area.
First off, you're assuming that this is "approved state inspected area".

Secondly, you're assuming that every state's laws are the same.

Apparently Arkansas and Georgia have some communist laws, but Indiana and Michigan don't. I've never heard of anything like this. You 2 are the first.
 
Discussion starter · #18 ·
Its compost. Every tree and landscape company around here that has their own large plot of land usually takes their leaves, sticks, wood, hedge clippings (in this case cattails) and uses their own land for a compost dump.

I've never heard of such rediculous laws in the south. Think Green, you are in a flood plain according to you location status, so that may have something to do with it.
 
We do have tributaries, streams, and other city waterways.. Since I live out in the County, there is protected "Fat Pocketbook Mussel" species in just about all local areas. There is other protected wildlife that is considered at risk for dumpage of grass waste. According to the Arkansas Standards of the PC&E, since grass waste is sprayed with herbicides, it is considered hazardous waste and is monitored. Since trees absorb water from the ground..surface water too, and air pollutants, it is considered hazardous waste and is subject to monitoring. I mean sometimes the State and mostly local officials become anal about off site dumping. There is a real problem in my area of building material illegal dumping that has brought attention to abandoned farm land. This public eye sore material is being sought out as a problem and it often falls on the other regulations involving other sources of dumpage. This other source is considered unapproved off site dumping. The word "Approved" is a term by the EPA and the PC&E. You don't want these officials on your land with their clipboards and viles taking samples of surface water. Heaven forbid they should take shallow water samples because they will find things in the water from 100 years ago. The problem is.......it is your land, you dump on it from commercial business means and you will be fined and forced to clean up the site. After this, the state will pay you little visits from time to time. It has happened to a distant friend who tried to fill in a old gravel pit with lawn waste, leaves, limbs, and other hard fill materials. The state came down on him real hard and the costs for extracting all this material was astronomical.
I am not telling you a fish story either.
 
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