Swain County is not sustainable, in the old ecological sense, because it outsources its trash. Consequently, it is subject to the whimsies of what neighboring jurisdictions want to charge for garbage. For the last four years, Swain has run a deficit, with trash hauling expenditures exceeding what the public is being assessed. This year, the shortfall was $100,000. County leadership blames outsiders who are illegally dumping garbage in Swain at night.