Board gives final approval to recycling contract

After a couple of months of uncertainty, a new recycling contract was approved Tuesday by the Lyon County Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Rick Anderson made the motion and Commissioner Charlie Sanow seconded it.

Environmental Director Roger Schroeder presented the recycling collection services contract with Southwest Sanitation to provide curbside service in Lyon County. “Recycling will operate on an every-other-week schedule,” said Schroeder and the agreement with Southwest Sanitation will run from Nov. 1, 2019 to April 30, 2021.

The rates will include: •Bi-weekly curbside recycling at $28,588 per month. •Apartment recycling collection at $2,128 per month.

•Total base monthly price of $30,716. The commissioners did have a variety of questions regarding true recycling process. Commissioner Rick Anderson asked, “How do we handle shredded paper?” Schroeder replied, “Shredded paper is not included in curbside recycling,” he said. He indicated, it does not go through the processing.

Anderson responded, “So where does shredded paper go?” Commission Chairman Gary Crowley said, “Shredded paper could be brought to the landfill by residents.” Commissioner Crowley asked about glass.

“A lot of places don’t take glass. What are people supposed to do with glass?” Schroeder answered, it can go into recycling, but, “Not the curbside.”

“I don’t think we have a lot of glass,” Schroeder said, adding that each recycling process treats it differently. The new contract calls for recycling in all communities in the county. Southwest Sanitation will submit an accurate monthly summary of the amount of material collected and the county will have access to the books and records of Southwest Sanitation.

Recyclable materials include corrugated cardboard, home, school, and office paper, newsprint, magazines, books, phone books and junk mail, paperboard, plastics, container glass, metal like pop cans and other rites designated by the county.

THE BOARD also voted to hire Ryan Schulte as a recycling truck driver. The position is starting at $19.61 per hour. He will start around November 5. Schulte will work with the dumpsters at roll-off recycling sites in the county.