It used to be such a simple question. You hired a refuse hauler, and the hauler took your trash to the Resource Recovery Facility in Newport. Since 1994, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local government cannot decide where garbage should be disposed, things have become more complicated.
Some haulers offer low cost services by delivering the waste to landfills in Wisconsin or Iowa.
Pierce Butler Rte. Yes you maintain the legal right to determine the destination for your trash, unless you sign a contract with your hauler stating otherwise. Sending your waste to the cheapest facility can create financial risk, or liability, for you. It can also undermine locally sponsored waste management programs, and harm the environment and waste resources. Financial liability can arise if contamination is discovered at a landfill, and must be cleaned up.