County hosts workshop on Solid Waste RFID card implementation

September 9, 2026

By Soncirey Mitchell
Reader Staff

The Bonner County Board of Commissioners and members of the Solid Waste Department will host a public workshop Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 1 p.m. on the ongoing process to replace the dump sticker program with a radio-frequency identification card-based system.

The change will eventually help scale solid waste fees based on usage, rather than the current flat fee.

The workshop will be held in the Bonner County Administration Building (1500 U.S. 2, in Sandpoint) and streamed live via Zoom and YouTube. To attend remotely, visit bonnercountyid.gov/meetings.

The county previously entered into a three-year contract with Stellar ScaleTech to supply card readers for its 11 staffed solid waste collection sites, making a one-time payment of $30,300, plus an annual subscription fee of $21,760. The commissioners later added to the contract, paying an additional $93,700, plus an annual subscription fee of $1,920, to roll the card-based access system into the newly purchased software.

According to Solid Waste Operations Manager Melissa Gault, the payments cover “system hosting, access cards, scanners, a card programmer, programming, labeling and annual data conversion for new residents.”

Going forward, the RFID cards will track the number of times owners visit a waste collection site and the amount of trash they leave behind, allowing users who generate little waste to pay less per year.

Solid Waste intends to replace current dump stickers with the cards at a yet-to-be-determined date in 2027, following a series of workshops to determine proper use and implementation.