JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - A deadly tornado that devastated Joplin could result in hundreds of thousands of dollars of fees paid to Missouri and Kansas for dumping massive amounts of debris in landfills.
As of Tuesday, federal contractors had cleared a little more than one-fourth of the debris from homes, roads and public areas following a May 22 tornado that hit Joplin.
For each ton of debris taken to a landfill, Missouri collects of fee of $2.11. Kansas charges $1 per ton at its landfills.
Federal officials estimate they will remove 300,000 tons of debris from homes and public rights of way. Private companies are paying to remove a substantial but unquantified amount of additional debris from businesses. The debris is being taken to several different landfills in southwest Missouri and southeast Kansas.