Hubbard County approves 2026 recycling contracts, transfer-station remodel and credit-card payments

Hubbard County commissioners on Tuesday approved a package of solid-waste items that covered recycling contracts, a transfer-station remodel and a plan to add credit-card payments.

Solid Waste manager S12 recommended renewing the waste-tire recycling agreement with Liberty Tire at $320 per ton (up from $307.50) after reporting 2024 county tire volumes and outlined a two-year approach to vendor outreach. The board also renewed the scrap-metal contract with Crow Wing Recycling at $85 per ton and $0.10 per pound for batteries, reflecting 2024 volumes of roughly 1,834 tons of scrap metal and 21 tons of automotive batteries. For electronics recycling, staff recommended COM2 Recycling Solutions (Carol Stream, Illinois); the county expects an estimated net credit of about $7,600 under that bid based on current volumes.

Commissioners approved remodeling work at the North Transfer Station to expand office and break-room space, replace windows and doors, and add HVAC and electrical updates, accepting the low bid from AMCON of $51,912.60.

On payments, staff proposed integrating ValPay (through Advanced Waste Systems) with the transfer-station scale and accounting systems so customers can pay by credit card; the county will pass a 3.5% processing surcharge to customers to cover the vendor fee (presenter cited ValPay’s ~3.25% fee). Commissioners discussed county-wide plans to centralize payment processing via Tyler Payments and agreed to proceed with implementing card acceptance at the transfer stations, including a one-year review of rates.

All actions were approved by voice vote during the meeting. The contracts are set for two-year terms unless otherwise specified in the agreements.