The landfill’s drive-and-drop program for household garbage has seen less-than-anticipated use in the two months since it started, according to Community Waste Solutions (CWS) manager Craig Franke.

Still, the program, which was designed to increase efficiency and reduce wait times at the landfill, has been running smoothly, Franke said.

One hundred and fifty-eight prepaid bags were sold in April and 101 had been sold last month as of May 25.

“Returns are increasing slightly in May, but my initial assessment is that the program has fallen far short of expectations so far,” Franke said in a memo to the Solid Waste Working Group.

Franke said he wasn’t sure why the service hasn’t been used as heavily as he expected. “I’m sure there are several factors,” Franke told the CVN.

CWS did a survey in the winter that showed demand for better access to the landfill and for shorter wait times. They devised the drop-off service in response to the survey results.

“I don’t know so far that the element that was clamoring for more access is taking advantage of it at all,” Franke said, adding that he still meets people who haven’t heard about the service.

CWS on April 1 started a drop-off service, which enables customers to avoid waiting in line, weighing their garbage and paying at the window.

The service is available from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Garbage needs to be dropped off in the prepaid bags, which can be bought at the landfill or stores including Haines Home, Lutak Lumber, Olerud’s and Mountain Market.

Only household trash is accepted through the service.

Six-gallon and thirteen-gallon bags are sold in packs of five. Thirty-gallon ones are sold in packs of three. The bags cost from $3 to $12 depending on size.

“We believe that by pulling all of the prepaid (bags) out of the line, and letting them bypass the scale, we will shorten up the line on the days we’re open,” Franke told the CVN in March. “Because it’s such a quick system — literally (customers) could almost throw (bags) out of the window if they could hit the container as they’re driving — they won’t be tied up in line.”

Despite the low use, Franke said CWS intends to keep the program going and eventually move towards a similar drop-off service for other kinds of waste. “We have no reason to pull out of it at all. It’s just been slow getting started,” he said.

CWS is also planning to move away from its client list system at Mosquito Lake and convert to prepaid bags there by July 1.