Residents of Whitley County, including Churubusco, have had some changes in their recycling service effective at the beginning of this year. But why were there changes made?

According to Jarell Tucker, Director of the Whitley County Solid Waste Management District, the previous recycling provider, National Serv-All, terminated their contract with Whitley County effective December 31, 2009. This left the county able to negotiate with various companies for the contract.

The county finally settled on Whitley Environmental, a local company, to provide the recyling service. Tucker stated that Whitley Environmental offers single-stream recycling which is the easiest, most user-friendly way to recycle.

The switch also left the county open to decided whether to have the district and taxpayers purchase the new containers or the contractor. After much discussion, it was decided to have the district purchase the containers so they would own them. This prevents having to switch containers in the future should they go with another contractor.

Residents were provided with the new recycling cans a few weeks ago and the pick-up days for Churubusco (and the rest of the county) have not changed.

It also means that paper no longer needs to be separated from the co-mix. As a result, it is now just as easy to recycle as it is to throw something away. However, Tucker would like to stress that you must separate trash from the recycling; do not mix everything into one container. Your recycling containers will be refused if they include trash.

It is important to note that all residents of Whitley County must pay for the recycling service regardless of whether they use it. Every household in the county pays $41 a year on their spring installment of their property taxes for the recycling service, so why not make good use of it?. Now that you do not need to separate the co-mix and paper recyclables, Tucker and others hope that you will do your part to preserve the environment and recycle.

Just another reminder that you must separate your trash from your recyclables or your recycling container may be refused.

For more information on the Whitley County Solid Waste Management District or to contact them, you can call them at 260-248-3132 or visit http://wcswmd.whitleynet.org/.

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Nov. 22, 2009) – Churubusco residents will no longer have to sort recyclables after the first of the year.

The Whitley County Solid Waste District has contracted with a new provider, Whitley Environmental, who will be dropping off new reclyclable containers to each household in December. National Serv-All is still under contract for trash pick up.

Pick up days will remain the same, but the new recyclable container is a larger container on wheels – much the same as the current trash receptacles – and no sorting is necessary.

“Residents will simply throw all of their recyclables into one container and they will be sorted at the plant,” said John Hart, a member of the Churubusco Town Council and the Whitley County Solid Waste District.

The new containers will be dropped off at each household sometime between Dec. 5-17.

For more information, go to a past article on this Web site involving this new program …

By Jennifer Zartman Romano for Talk of the Town, partners with Buscovoice.com in the Whitley News Network

WHITLEY COUNTY, Ind. – One way or another, the way we recycle in Whitley County will be changing with the New Year.

Whitley County has been on the cutting edge of recycling, being among the first communities to institute a county-wide, curbside recycling program. Now, according to Whitley County Solid Waste director Jorell Tucker, a new contract is likely to result in further alignment with more progressive recycling practices.

In August, Tucker was notified that the current recycling contractor National Serv-All would be suspending their current contract with Whitley County on December 31, 2009, in hopes of ultimately negotiating a new one.

Tucker and his board of directors, however, viewed this as an opportunity to redesign the program and seek new bids from several different contractors.

“Our new recycling proposal that we are sending out in the next week or two will cover the next five years,” Tucker said. “It could potentially expand our materials list.”

By “materials list,” Tucker is referring to the types of items you will be able to recycle curbside. Currently, only #1 and #2 type plastics are allowed – but if negotiated as expected, the new program would allow types 1-7 and also plastic bags.

Another change: single stream recycling. Citizens will not need to sort items at home, but throw all recyclables into a large bin and roll it to the curb. In single stream recycling, all of the sorting is done at the recycling facility.

“This is really in the public interest,” Tucker said. “It’s just easier for everybody.”
Tucker is hopeful that an easier process will result in more people participating fully in the program.

“No matter what happens, come January 1, you’re going to have a new container and everything will be in one,” Tucker said.

“We are putting out a contract request, but the proposals we receive back may have some deviations,” said Tucker, adding that there may be some subtle differences that will be negotiated.

“Of course, we’d like the contractor to do it all,” Tucker said of the proposal he and his board have created. “But, it’s not set in stone yet, but more and more recycling divisions are including all of these elements. Also, as technology advances, they’re able to use more and more.”

“Single stream is a sure thing,” Tucker said. “The rest is a hope.”
Several regional vendors have already voiced an interest in bidding on a five year contract for Whitley County’s recycling, including Veolia, Republic, Whitley Environmental and others.

“At a minimum, we’re talking about a $2-$3 million contract,” Tucker said. “We won’t know the total value until all the quotes have come in.”
Under the current contract with National Serv-All, Whitley County Solid Waste is charged $2.54 per household, per month for curbside recycling. That amount may change depending on what a new vendor negotiates. Annually, county residents are charged a mandatory user fee on their tax bill of $41 for a solid waste fee.

“We looked into a 90-day extension on our current contract with Serv-All and their quote was $4 per house,” Tucker said. That meant an extra $60,000 over 90 days.

“The board did not see that as a viable option and so we’re going to pursue the RFP process,” he said.

One change most residents will appreciate involves the container used for recycling. Currently, residents have two containers: one for plastics and one for co-mingled glass and plastics.

The proposed containers, thanks to single stream recycling, will be larger with a flip-top lid and wheels. The container’s stature will also make it less likely to be blown or knocked over. Several containers are being considered, but the one Tucker has been most impressed with has a 12-inch diameter wheel which will make it easier to roll to the curb.

Another exciting possibility is that an RFID chip may be installed in container handles that will identify participating households. With this information, Whitley County Solid Waste could potentially know which households have recycled on a given day, what quantities of certain recyclables were put out or which portions of the county are more engaged in recycling practices. All of this information has the potential of helping Whitley County Solid Waste provide better service and better educating residents.

So, what will happen to all of the old black and grey containers?

“It will be up to Serv-All – what they want to do with the containers,” he said. “They belong to Serv-All, not to Whitley County Solid Waste and not to the homeowner.”

Tucker and his board of directors expect to comprehensively review proposals over the next several weeks and make a decision on which vendor they’ll hire. Then, Tucker plans an awareness campaign to spread the word about the new program and any changes that may be in store for Whitley County.

A meeting will be held at 5 p.m. today at the Whitley County Solid Waste office to discuss the contract process. The community is welcome to attend.