Solid Waste Supervisor Wendy Powers

Solid Waste Supervisor Wendy Powers visits the Fulton Landfill every day despite its closure over a decade ago.

“We have to maintain it for 50 years,” she said. “We have our flare that is burning off the methane, so I’m out there checking that. We also have gas meters on top of the hill; I check those once a week. I do a lot of gas sampling. There’s a lot that we still do out there”

However, maintaining the landfill is only part of her job. Wendy also oversees the trash, recycling, yard waste, and electronic waste pickup schedules along with scheduling special pickups and dumpster deliveries.

Wendy said her favorite part of the job is Fall Clean Up Week, which is scheduled for Oct. 10-14 this year, because of the interesting things they pick up.

“I’m always on one of those trucks, and I help pick up all the trash,” she said. “All the sofas, all the mattresses, all of everything you can name under the sun — we’ve picked up tanning beds, we’ve picked up pianos and grand pianos.”

She started as a City Hall receptionist before moving to the finance department and later the landfill. Wendy took on her current position six years ago.

Outside of work, she’s a mother and grandmother. Wendy said she also enjoys going fishing and hunting with her husband.

“Our biggest catfish to date was almost 69 pounds,” she said.