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 …

From Talk of the Town in Columbia City, a news partner with Buscovoice.com

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

With a new year’s deadline looming, Jorell Tucker’s mind is occupied with concerns related to changes within the Whitley County curbside recycling program.

Recently, Tucker, director of the Whitley County Solid Waste, and members of the Solid Waste board opened sealed bids from four companies interested in overseeing the curbside recycling program.

Submitting quotes were Whitley County-based All Pro Towing doing business as Whitley Environmental, National Serv-All based out of Fort Wayne, Borden Waste-Away Group of Elkhart and Earth First of Fort Wayne.

The companies based their quotes on three options outlined by Whitley County Solid Waste. Option 1 called for the contractor to provide recycle containers, Option 2 called for the district to purchase containers and Option 3 called for the district to purchase containers, but the contractor would service those containers.

All proposals include plans for single stream, co-mingled recycling, accepting plastics 1-7 and the use of a single 96-gallon recycling container.

Borden Waste-Away Group’s annual cost for Option 1 was $712,738.80, Option 2 was $512,482.72 and Option 3 was $548,890.80.

Earth First’s annual cost for Option 1 was $827,432.40, Option 2 was $517,759.68 and Option 3 was $539,059.92.
National Serv-All’s annual quote for Option 1 was $560,360.16, Option 2 was $403,066.08 and Option 3 was $444,028.08.
All-Pro/Whitley Environmental’s annual quote for Option 1 was $589,852.80, Option 2 was $417,812.40 and Option 3 was $422,727.84.

The annualized quotes are based on 13,654 households in Whitley County and are base rates only. This will be a five year contact valued at approximately $2-3 million dollars.

“The rates speak for themselves,” Tucker said after reviewing the quotes. “It’s just been a waiting game to see what everyone comes in at.”

“There are concerns with everyone’s proposals and we’re investigating them right now,” Tucker said. “We will know more next week.”

Another meeting will be held next Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Whitley County Government Center when the Whitley County Solid Waste District is expected to pick a vendor to provide curbside recycling services beginning January 2, 2010.

For now, in addition to going over the proposals with a fine-toothed comb, Tucker is contemplating recycling containers and benefits of owning containers or having the contractor own them.

“We are weighing the cost of buying containers or having vendors own the containers we’ll use,” Tucker said. “It’s a matter of how much would we save if we own them.”

“Currently, we’re looking at seven different cart models,” Tucker said, a long row of large, plastic, wheeled containers with flip-top lids filling the available space in the center of the recycling facility on Line Street.

“I’ve been asking people what they think about one over another,” he said.
With so many choices and options, do any stand out above the others?

“If we buy them, I’m down to about two or three models I like,” said Tucker. “Price is going to be a factor.”

If the contractor is responsible for purchasing containers, Tucker expects 13,000 will be purchased. If the Whitley County Solid Waste District purchases the containers, Tucker said they’ll take advantage of discounts and purchase approximately 13,500. The containers may be stored at the Whitley County Solid Waste District facility or potentially stored at a contractor’s location.

“The utmost factor is that we have to try to have everything signed, sealed and delivered by the end of this month to have everything in place by January 2,” Tucker said. “Nobody’s dragging their feet about this.”

“I’m excited about it – no matter who gets it, it’s going to be better for the community,” concluded Tucker. “It’s a better program. People are going to be able to put more items in there.”

“We will be giving a better recycling program,” said Tucker, “a more user-friendly recycling program. But, with that, there will be costs incurred also. It’s still early to know what those fees are.”

“Nobody wants to hear of another rate increase,” Tucker said. The current rate is $41 per household, per year.

“Forty-one dollars over the course of a year is not that much,” he said. “Any increase would be minimal.”

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.

Did You Know?

• Residents who live in Whitley County pay an annual recycling fee when they pay property taxes?

• If recycling containers are full and a resident does not  want to wait until the next pick-up day to get rid of the contents, they can bring and empty the containers at the Whitley County Solid Waste (WCSWD) facility at 701 S. Line Street in Columbia City?

• Residents who live in Whitley County and don’t have a trash removal company may purchase ten yellow bags for $20 and drop them off when they are full at the WCSWD facility in the bins out front anytime night or day? (The yellow bags are for non-recyclable items only.)

• Residents who get missed on pick-up days can call in a report at 1-800-876-9001?

• The Whitley County Solid Waste District schedule of pickup days and times is available at the Churubusco Town Hall at 693-9350 or by calling the WC Solid Waste office at 260-248-3132?

For more information on recycling and how you can get started, go to the Whitley County Solid Waste District Web site or call Jorell Tucker, director of the facility, at 260-248-3132.

*Information from the Whitley County Solid Waste District Web site.