Pipestone County temporarily raises cardboard-hauling fee to Van Dyke amid capacity squeeze

Pipestone County commissioners voted Aug. 12 to approve a short-term amendment to the county's recycling arrangement with contractor Van Dyke, increasing the county's payment by $100 per roll-off of cardboard for the remainder of 2025.

County staff and the solid-waste committee told the board that a nearby county's change in service forced Van Dyke to route cardboard to Sioux Falls, increasing hauling time and staff labor. The committee recommended an interim $100-per-load payment, retroactive to July 1 through Dec. 31, to avoid service interruptions while staff pursues longer-term disposal options.

Presentations to the board described operational constraints: loose cardboard in roll-offs weighs roughly one ton per load, compaction could increase tonnage but requires expensive equipment and protected handling; compactors would need three-phase power and either an enclosed building or dedicated staff to operate safely. Van Dyke reported it had been receiving about $25–$30 per ton for cardboard and that transport to Sioux Falls can involve waiting times that increase staff hours.

Commissioners and staff discussed alternatives raised by the solid-waste committee — compactors, baling, altering roll-off frequency, or adding on-site sorting — and agreed the short-term per-load payment will buy time while staff searches for better operational solutions. The board specifically instructed staff to monitor volumes and revisit the arrangement at year end.

The motion to approve the retroactive $100-per-roll-off payment passed on a voice vote. Staff said the contractor will bill the county for July through December; at the committee's recommendation the board decided a short-term administrative action was sufficient and no written amendment would be executed for this limited period.