By LEE J. KAHRS
BRANDON – In this, the “new normal” of the COVID-19 pandemic, familiar sights and routines start to mean more. An instant nostalgia, if you will. Even at the dump.
The Brandon Transfer Station was open Saturday and it was business as usual, with a slight tweak. A sign greeting those waiting in line read: “OPTIONAL, Stay in your car, We’ll come to you. Two cars at a time.”
But that sign and the fact that operator Tracy Wyman and other workers were wearing blue gloves were the only indicators that there is a global pandemic happening. Waste disposal and recycling are considered essential services, and the cars and trucks showed up at the transfer station like they do every Saturday. Most people opted to unload their own cars.
Tracy Wyman, who operates the Brandon Transfer Station, said he is as busy as ever and the staff is practicing social distancing to help people dump their garbage and recycling.
Photo by Lee Kahrs
Wyman was asked if he was hearing any appreciation for the transfer station and the normalcy of it all.
“We really haven’t had time to talk to too many people,” he said. “We just unload them two at a time and try to keep our social distancing.”
The hours of operation are staying the same, 1-6 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30 a.m.- noon on Saturday.
And Wyman’s wife Harriet is still making homemade donuts and selling them at the transfer station each Saturday.
“The donuts are still here,” Wyman said. “They’re self- serve and in plastic bags, so they’re safe.”
