MOULTRIE, GA. — The Colquitt County Landfill solid waste transfer station reopened Tuesday, six months after a fire destroyed it and left officials scrambling to dispose of garbage.

The destruction of the building — in which garbage was stored until loaded on larger trucks for transport to a Valdosta landfill — also forced contractors to haul construction materials for disposal to other counties.

The $608,000 cost of replacing the destroyed building will be paid by the county’s insurance company, Colquitt County Administrator Chas Cannon said of the 1860 Shade Murphy Road facility.

The insurer also has agreed to reimburse the county’s costs incurred when the transfer station was down. While the new transfer station was under construction the county was forced to improvise, driving household waste to three counties and using the City of Moultrie’s smaller facility for part of its needs.

The county also lost revenue it would have received from tipping fees from individuals and companies if they had been able to dispose of their waste in Colquitt County.

“Insurance is paying for all of it, to include our operational loss, construction, and what we lost in revenues over the last six months,” Cannon said.

The facility itself was insured for $850,000.

The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office investigated the March 23 blaze that destroyed the building. No definitive cause was ever identified.

The county operates a garbage service in unincorporated areas of the county with curbside pickup at $20 per month. It serves nearly 10,000 customers. The county landfill can accept yard debris and certain construction materials, but all household garbage is disposed of elsewhere.

County officials have discussed reopening the landfill for garbage disposal, but that idea has met with some resistance from nearby property owners.