Sedgwick County outlines breadth of solid-waste services and programs

Susan (solid-waste staff) presented a multi-faceted overview of county solid-waste operations, noting the solid-waste plan is required by KDHE and the county maintains a standing solid-waste committee (appointments by the board) that reviews permits and grant recommendations. She listed services the department administers or supports: facility inspections, public education, the household hazardous waste (HHW) facility and remote collection events, electronics and tire collections, bulky-waste coupons, illegal-dumping cleanups with townships, Christmas tree recycling and a pilot mattress-coupon program planned for the upcoming fall.

Susan gave program details and scale: 22 Christmas tree recycling sites (10 in Wichita) and a long-running mulch program; Medsafe drop boxes at police stations for secure medication collection; and township partnerships that have disposed of more than 2,000,000 pounds of illegally dumped material. She emphasized the county's programs are mostly funded by a dedicated solid-waste fee and highlighted that the fee is restricted to solid-waste programs.