County schedules one-day waste service pause for staff training

Los Alamos County Environmental Services notified residents on Jan. 8 that two county waste facilities will be closed temporarily on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Eco Station and the White Rock Overlook Convenience Center will be unavailable while staff attend mandated training, pursue required certifications, and complete scheduled maintenance work. As a result, routine trash, yard waste, and recycling collection services will not run on Jan. 14; routes affected by the suspension are scheduled to be collected one day later, on Thursday, Jan. 15.

County officials described the closure as part of a new cadence of workforce development and compliance activity. The county plans to hold one training or certification day per quarter to maintain regulatory compliance and keep staff readiness current. The quarterly schedule is intended to ensure staff certifications remain up to date and to reduce longer-term service disruptions caused by unplanned absences or noncompliance issues.

For residents, the immediate impact is a single-day delay in collection and temporary loss of drop-off access at two county facilities. Households and small businesses that generate time-sensitive or bulky waste should account for the one-day shift in pickup. Commercial generators and residents with special disposal needs may experience longer scheduling impacts if multiple collections are tied to fixed routes. The county has said impacted customers will receive collection on Thursday, Jan. 15, which should limit the duration of disruption.

Institutionally, the county’s move signals an effort to prioritize regulatory and safety obligations within routine operations. Regular, scheduled training can reduce liability exposure, limit safety incidents, and support consistent service over time. At the same time, holding training during service hours requires operational trade-offs: training days temporarily reduce available staffing for collections and facility access and may carry budget implications if overtime or temporary staffing is needed to compensate.

Civic oversight matters in these choices. Residents should monitor Los Alamos County Environmental Services notices for future training-day schedules and any changes to pickup patterns, and raise questions at county meetings about how the quarterly program will be integrated into annual service calendars and budgets. Clear, predictable scheduling can help households plan around one-day delays and preserve public confidence in county waste services.