District staff presented detailed results from 2025 recycling and hazardous-waste events and discussed future planning prompted by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Gina (district staff) reported that the Sept. 6 fall Toxaway Day attracted about 750 vehicles and yielded 29 tons of hazardous waste and 1,600 tires. She said total hazardous-waste collection in 2025 is 58 tons. The two hazardous-waste events (spring and fall) together cost $112,867. Gina reported a paper-shredding event at Wesselman Park on Sept. 19 collected 21 pounds at that event and 41,270 pounds of paper for shredding in 2025 including the spring event.

An electronics recycling event at the Civic Center parking lot on Oct. 4 collected 81,000 pounds; Gina said total electronics collected for the year is 147,500 pounds (about 74 tons) and that the total cost for electronics recycling this year was $46,806. Gina provided a program-summary handout with event totals from 2014 through 2025.

Jean told the board that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management is preparing a long-term statewide materials-management plan to replace the 1990 Indiana Solid Waste Plan. Jean said the state plan will take a sustainable materials-management approach that expands beyond traditional recycling to emphasize waste reduction, organics management and recycling a broader set of materials such as textiles and construction and demolition debris. IDEM will ask local solid-waste districts to develop similar plans in coming years; Jean said the district’s current plan has not been updated since the 1990s.

Board members suggested arranging a site visit to Tri State Resources to observe sorting operations (including robotics) and to better understand what materials can be recycled. Jean offered to coordinate a tour. Jean also announced two volunteer tree-planting events organized by Sean Dickerson: about 200 trees at Deaconess and Gable(s) Sports Park on Nov. 15 and plantings at the State Hospital on Nov. 22; staff said holes should be prepared in advance and volunteers will not need to bring shovels.