Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
When the new millennium begins, the current Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District's contract with Stafford Solid Waste to provide waste management services will end.
Tuesday, the SWMD board approved a resolution authorizing the district to provide waste management service. The resolution will allow the district to seek bids for a new contract.
Bid specifications will be sent to all local solid waste businesses, including Stafford. There are four different bids as part of the bid package.
The first one is a bid to operate the 12 recycling drop-off stations as they are now. The second bid is to operate the stations with an alternate form of collection, designated by the company. Bid three is for collection of materials at 11 of the recycling stations, following the same collection used now, and the operation of a manned recycling facility. The fourth bid is for the operation of a manned recycling facility with 11 recycling stations and the company's form of collection.
The contract for the district will be for three years to begin with and then two two-year renewable contracts afterwards.
In other business:
• District director Marsha Eikenberry said she is participating in a discussion with several other districts to combine and form a regional household hazardous waste program. The program would enhance the district's ability to get a better contract price with a HHW firm, she said. The regional group includes Kosciusko, Whitley, Wabash, Marshall, Huntington, Cass and possibly Miami counties. The group is seeking grants.
• Another battery recycling location at Ace Hardware, Nappanee, was added to the district's collection system.
• Compost bins are available for purchase from the district.
• America Recycles Day is Nov. 15. The district will sponsor the shoe collection again this year as well as an essay and poster contest for schools.
• District education coordinator Sue Studebaker submitted a conference program idea to the Hoosier Association of Science Teachers and was accepted as a conference presenter at the HASTI conference next year in Indianapolis. Eikenberry said Studebaker's acceptance as a conference presenter is a great honor.
