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After compost-site fire, Solid Waste District tells council it will limit landscaper drop'offs and stop stockpiling material
Summary
Solid Waste District Executive Director Clay Turner told the council the district will stop accepting commercial landscapers at the county compost site, will curb stockpiling and will seek vendors to grind and remove material after a Sept. 21 fire. The council approved the district's 2026 budget at the meeting.
Clay Turner, executive director of the LaPorte County Solid Waste District, briefed the council Oct. 27 on lessons from a Sept. 21 fire at the county yard'waste site and on operational changes his board will propose.
Turner said the district will limit what is accepted at the site to residential loads and will not accept landscaper and contractor drop'offs going forward. "We're gonna limit our contractors... We're gonna limit our landscapers that come in there. We're gonna work on just helping our residents out," Turner said, adding that the district will stop stockpiling large volumes of material and will pursue grinding and hauling options to get material off'site within a year.
Turner said the district will continue using cold composting (12'18 months) because the district lacks staff to run a hot, turned compost process. Turner's board is preparing formal rules for the compost site and will meet Nov. 6 to consider operational changes; the district also plans limited municipal exceptions for municipalities and county highway use but not for contractors.
The council approved the Solid Waste District's 2026 budget that night following that presentation. Councilmembers asked about temperature monitoring of piles and other fire prevention measures; Turner said the district will seek vendors and revise its acceptance rules.
Turner also discussed past successful arrangements (including earlier prison'based composting programs) and said the district is open to exploring similar partnerships if property and vendor arrangements permit.
