Its report, at www.OrangeCountyVoice.org, compares vendor prices for disposing of waste with the anticipated costs of building and operating a new county facility.

The report says vendors charge $40 to $50 per ton to dispose of waste using existing facilities. Two vendors run waste transfer facilities in Durham and are willing to take Orange County's waste on a monthly or yearly basis, the report says.

By contrast, the report says Orange County estimates it would cost $47 to $62 per ton to dispose of waste using a new county transfer station. The difference comes in the county's spending too much to buy property, spending too much to build the facility and locating it in a rural area that lacks water and sewer services, according to Orange County Voice.

Gayle Wilson, the county's solid waste management director, plans to report back to the commissioners this April on the status of the finalist transfer station sites and alternative methods of disposing of the county's trash.