Clay Turner
Spring has finally arrived and things are starting to be renewed. Snow piles are gone, flowers are popping up through the warming earth surface and more and more residents are venturing out to enjoy all of the things that spring brings.
It seems this time of year always brings to the surface that one special question, and I think you know what I am referring to. Young and old alike look at each other and ask: “Is everything I put out in the curbside collection really recycled?”
The short and truthful answer to this question is: YES.
When the LaPorte County Solid Waste District first started, especially in the City of LaPorte, our process for collection was single stream, which meant everything we collected had to be sorted at the curb. Through the years, we have progressed to comingle recycling, which basically means everything we collect can be combined and it is later sorted at a facility called an MRF (Municipal Recovery Facility). We contract out this service, which sometimes can be confusing, because our vendor of record at this time also has a trash hauling service, and the trucks are very similar.
Trust me: They do not combine your recyclables with your trash.
The Solid Waste District has some very strict penalties in place if this should happen. We not only monitor their facilities, but they are required to send us monthly reports on the tonnage totals they pick up. The percentage of participation is also built into these reports, and there are penalties if they don’t meet contract deadlines.
So, don’t ever for one minute think your contribution to the curbside program isn’t appreciate or handled in the most professional way. As always, call or write with your concerns.
CLAY TURNER is executive director of the LaPorte County Solid Waste District. Contact the office at 326-0014 or visit www.solidwastedistrict.com. The office is located at 2354 N. U.S. 35, and plans an Earth Day open house on April 22. To view details about that event, click here.
