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Household hazardous-waste manager warns ending business collections would cut reimbursements and shift costs to small businesses
Summary
Michael Bowler told commissioners the county’s household hazardous-waste program serves 10 neighboring counties and brings in $150,000–$160,000 in reimbursements; he proposed stopping business waste acceptance to hit a flat budget but cautioned that eliminating the program would breach contracts and risk environmental harm.
Michael Bowler, who manages the county’s noxious-weed and household hazardous-waste program, briefed commissioners on July 1 about budget pressures and the revenue model for hazardous-waste collection.
Bowler said the county provides hazardous-waste disposal services for 10 adjacent counties and that those counties reimburse Riley County for much of the cost, including a portion of Bowler’s salary. He told the board the program typically brings in about $150,000–$160,000 a year in reimbursements, and he emphasized that many services are reimbursed after the county pays costs up front.
To bring his budget request back to flat this year, Bowler proposed stopping acceptance of business-generated waste entirely (businesses that generate more than 50 pounds per month are already restricted by recent state guidance). He said that change “would easily ... bring my budget request back down to flat this year,” but he also warned it would affect small businesses that currently rely on the county’s low-cost service and that they would have to pay vendors at higher rates.
Bowler opposed eliminating the household hazardous-waste division entirely, noting the county has contractual obligations to other counties and that ending the service could increase improper disposal. He pointed to environmental risks, including pharmaceuticals being flushed rather than turned in at collection events.
Commissioners thanked Bowler and asked staff to identify line items that could be trimmed; commissioners agreed they were not prepared to eliminate the department itself without further analysis of impacts to partner counties and small businesses.
Bowler agreed to return with more detail if commissioners had suggestions for specific cuts that would allow the program to remain operational while trimming costs.
