Warrick County board approves change to small-business recycling program to curb contamination

Warrick County Solid Waste Management District Board members voted unanimously Aug. 21 to modify the district’s small-business recycling program, shifting many participants to self-service collection and replacing some school collection points with 30-yard roll-off containers.

The change aims to reduce contamination and lower operating costs for a program that district staff said serves about 70 small businesses and costs roughly $36,860 a year. "This program is costing us $36,860 a year, roughly," Reagan (surname not provided), a district staff member who presented the proposal, told the board.

Reagan said program revenues are small — "The approximate revenues generated off that is around 8,400" if everything were recycled — and contamination rates run high, often 30%–40%. She showed board members a sample bin that weighed 440 pounds, which staff said was saturated and moldy, and said the district is seeing repeated contamination despite prior outreach and warnings.

The approved changes allow businesses to continue using district-owned containers but require them to move materials to district sites themselves rather than rely on routine pickups. Schools that participate would receive 30-yard roll-off containers with hard tops; district roll-off trucks would collect those less frequently. Reagan said the district would repair or replace broken smaller bins for businesses that keep them, and that businesses with persistent contamination would be suspended from the program. "We will suspend them. We won't allow them to participate," she said.

Freddie (surname not provided), the district superintendent, emphasized the intent was not punitive but practical: the district cannot track contamination sources reliably once a driver returns from a route, and excessive runs to partially filled bins use time and fuel. He told the board the change would allow staff to redeploy employees to maintenance, mowing, snow plowing and other seasonal duties.

Board members asked about cost savings and revenue projections. Reagan said the bulk of program cost is labor (about $30,000) and outlined a plan to replace one full-time position with two part-time workers plus a part-time commercial driver to reduce benefits costs; she projected roughly $5,300 in roll-off revenues if schools and eligible businesses moved to roll-offs. Implementation would include notifying participants and giving businesses through September to decide whether to continue in the program.

Board member Greg Richmond moved to approve the proposed changes; the motion was seconded and carried unanimously after late-arriving board member Sarah Seaton confirmed a yes vote.

Staff said the program modification will be phased in rather than shutting participants out immediately, and that the district will continue documented outreach when contamination is found. Reagan said the district has already modified participant agreements to add steps such as driver documentation and photo evidence of contamination before follow-up outreach.

The board did not set a formal start date at the meeting but approved the change and directed staff to notify participants ahead of implementation.

Ending

District staff will notify businesses and schools of the change and return to the board with implementation details; staff projected the September window to give participants time to decide whether to continue under the modified program.