Vermillion County Solid Waste Board approves rental of on-site dumpster for latex paint at hazardous-waste collection

Vermillion County's Solid Waste Board approved a motion to allow the Solid Waste director to rent a dumpster to accept residents' latex paint at the county's hazardous-waste collection, the board said at a regular meeting.

The board moved to authorize the director to rent a dumpster for the hazardous-waste ("toxway") collection after members discussed logistics and costs. The contract with Caldwell Environmental for the hazardous-waste collection covers the first 100 cars; the county will pay for the first 100 vehicles and the contract sets a $35-per-car charge after that. Board members agreed the county could rent a small dumpster or roll-off on site to accept large amounts of latex paint residents might bring.

Why it matters: the rental is intended to give residents a county-managed option for disposing of multiple cans of latex paint that would otherwise be difficult to handle at curbside or during a one-day event. Board members discussed limiting the rental cost (one member suggested a cap of "$400") or delegating a spending cap to the director; the motion as recorded delegated authorization to the director and passed on a voice vote.

Details and related events: staff reviewed several upcoming community waste events. Spring cleanup hours were confirmed as 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, advertising and social-media outreach are under way, and volunteers and sponsorships are being solicited. A tire-recycling event is planned for May 16; staff have applied to use the Rise property (final approval pending the Rise board meeting) and are awaiting confirmation from Preferred Tire.

The hazardous-waste collection with contractor Caldwell Environmental is scheduled for Saturday, June 6, using a north entrance staging area at the Rise property. Caldwell will provide manpower and equipment; the county will need to arrange a forklift or skid-steer with forks for unloading. Under the contract, the first 100 cars are included; after that the county would pay $35 per car.

Materials guidance: the board clarified that latex paint is not handled as hazardous waste under the contractor arrangement; the prior practice of mixing latex paint with an absorbent (kitty litter or sand) for disposal was discussed. Board members agreed to make a dumpster available so staff could manage large quantities brought by residents rather than relying solely on on-the-spot mixing. Empty pesticide containers for homeowners will be accepted; the event is for homeowners only, not commercial generators.

Other business: board members discussed recycling interest countywide and results from a county survey (participants estimated at about 200 respondents), with Clinton City’s cardboard and plastics collection cited as an early proof of concept. A board member also noted an award opportunity recognizing greening or road-cleanup efforts and suggested staff compile records (photos, testimonials, lists of adopted roads) for an application.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the minutes, accepted the financial report (which the director summarized as "nothing out of the ordinary"), approved three claims (including QuickBooks subscription and state association membership), and approved authorization for the director to rent a dumpster for the hazardous-waste collection. Individual roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript for these votes.

Public comment: none was offered during the public-comment portion of the meeting.

Next steps: staff will finalize vendor confirmations for the tire-recycling and hazardous-waste events, confirm availability of equipment (forklift or skid steer forks) and proceed with the dumpster rental under the board’s authorization. The board adjourned after completing these items.