Waste District Report Shows Increased Services In 2006

BY TERESA SMITH, Times-Union Staff Writer

The county solid waste district’s year-end report shows increased usage of the numerous recycling programs offered by the organization.

Commodities like newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper, plastics, aluminum, steel and glass are brought to the KC Depot on South Union Street in Warsaw, and collected in most communities.

In 2006 there was a 5 percent increase over 2005 figures, a total of 1,542.25 tons of materials brought to these “bins.”

Warsaw residents have curbside recycling available as do citizens in Winona Lake, Etna Green and Syracuse.

District Director Sue Studebaker has 2006 figures for Warsaw, showing 440.63 tons collected, and for Etna Green, 29 tons.

Ongoing collections began when the district offices moved to the KC Depot.

These services were used by 1,555 people in 2006 (200 more than in 2005), who brought household hazardous waste, electronics, used oil, batteries, eye glasses and tires to the Depot.

Household hazardous waste collection – acids and bases, poisons, flammables, aerosols, oil-based paint, latex paint, unregulated waste, gasoline, oxidizers and oil – totaled 12.39 tons.

With state support, the district recycles fluorescent tubes for free to residents and at a low cost to small businesses. In 2006, 19,638 feet of fluorescent tube-type lighting and 23 pounds of elemental mercury were collected.

Televisions, computers, cell phones and other small electronics are accepted at the facility. In 2005, 25,800 pounds of electronics were recycled. In 2006, collection nearly doubled to 50,165 pounds.

The district collects household chemical, electronics and mercury four days a week. Tires are collected on the second Saturday of each month, March through October.

In 2006, the Eco Store opened in the Depot to show residents quality products made from recycled materials.

A medical needle or “sharps” collection began for people who use drugs. The needles are to be placed in a safe container, like an empty, plastic laundry detergent container.

District personnel also conduct a collection of other unused pharmaceutical pills and liquids once a year.

The district offers a variety of educational programs to organizations and school classes and distributes the “Trash Talk” newsletter to more than 2,200 fourth- and fifth-grade students. Every three months, copies of the “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Review” is added to the Times-Union’s newspaper as an insert.

Recycling bins for the Warsaw Community Schools paper collection program were provided by the district last year.

The annual shoe recycling program garnered 2,952 pounds of shoes in 2006.

Informational signs detailing acceptable materials were posted at all collection bin sites.