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County approves retroactive waivers for four haulers; one commissioner objects amid ongoing landfill negotiations
Summary
The Board approved waivers (retroactive to Jan. 1, 2026) for Rumpke, Kimble, Waste Management and Pete & Pete despite Commissioner Jeff Riddell's recommendation to delay while a host agreement with Republic is negotiated; vote was 2–1.
On June 5 the Lorain County Board of Commissioners approved Resolution No. 26-336 to issue waivers from facility designation to four solid-waste haulers effective Jan. 1, 2026 through Dec. 31, 2027. The companies named were Rumpke of Northern Ohio, Kimble Recycling & Disposal, Waste Management of Ohio, and Pete and Pete Container Service.
Commissioner Jeff Riddell urged postponing the waiver approvals because negotiations over the county's host agreement with Republic — which controls landfill operations — remain unresolved and the expired host agreement has economic implications for the landfill's long-term viability. Riddell argued the county may be forfeiting leverage in negotiations and allowing county-generated waste dollars to move outside the county. "I would entertain a motion to continue this to January 1, 2027 to allow the negotiations to complete themselves," he said. Commissioners Moore and Gallagher voted to approve the waivers; the roll call was Ayes: Moore & Gallagher / Nay: Riddell.
Supporters of the waiver system told the Board the waivers preserve competition and allow independent haulers to bid on municipal contracts. Kimble Recycling representatives described operational constraints from short waiver windows and said losing the waivers would raise prices and reduce competition. The Board adopted the waivers with the stated effective retroactive dates.
