District to allow medicine disposal at Tox-A-Way Day (06/26/07)

Add unused and/or expired prescription medication to the list of items which may be disposed during the county household hazardous waste day.

Members of the Jay County Solid Waste District board of directors agreed Monday to set up a station for collection of prescription drugs during Tox-A-Way Day on Saturday, Sept. 29.

That collection station will be manned by members of the Jay County Drug Prevention Coalition, and guarded by at least one officer from the Portland Police Department.

Portland Police Chief Bob Sours told board members that members of the drug prevention coalition had first proposed to police that the collection be done during the Jay County Fair.

But Sours said that problems with guarding the collected medication and the eight-day time period were negative factors in that proposal.

Sours said he suggested to coalition members that the collection be done in conjunction with Tox-A-Way Day, which will be held at the Jay County Fairgrounds.

The waste district will not incur any additional cost for adding the service, as the collection and disposal will be done by coalition members.

The district contracts with a company to collect and dispose of waste such as motor oil, paint and computers, along with a wide variety of other items.

Also Monday, board members gave permission for district director Kay Hayes to hire part-time help this summer, as long as payment does not exceed the $2,500 in the 2007 budget.

In other business, board members Gerald Kirby, Bill Gibson, Faron Parr, Bruce Hosier, Gary Theurer, Milo Miller Jr. and Sam Hubbard:

•Heard Hayes report that she sent a letter praising an employee of a company hired to provide document shredding for county residents in May. The employee found $390 wrapped in papers dropped off for shredding. The employee gave the money to Hayes, along with the papers, which helped to identify to whom the money belonged.

•Learned from Hayes that she and administrative assistant Jill Hall disposed of a couch that was dumped recently at a drop-off recycling box in Portland. Hayes said that there is a recurring problem with items being dropped off before or after collection hours on Saturdays. She said that when lightweight items are put outside the dumpsters, they often are scattered by the wind.

•Approved claims totaling $20,993.67, leaving the district with a checking account balance of $110,205.43. The district also has $50,431.86 in an investment account.[[In-content Ad]]