Searching for tire solution

There still isn't an answer how to best help Jay County take care of tires discarded along county roads.

But members of the Jay County Solid Waste District are still searching.

The district, asked last month by a county highway department official for financial assistance to offset the cost of recycling tires collected, discussed several options but came to no conclusions during its monthly meeting Monday afternoon.

Among the options considered were purchasing a used semi-trailer that could be used to store then haul tires picked up along roads by county workers.

But the estimated cost per load for that option would still be about $1,500. That estimate was provided through district director Kay Hayes by an official from NuGenesis Inc., which has handled the collection for the district's Tox-A-Way Day the past several years.

District board members Jim Zimmerman, Dan Orr, Milo Miller Jr. and Faron Parr also briefly discussed creating a public drop-off site for tires at the county highway garage, located at county roads 200 North and 100 East.

While expressing concern that the location could become a dumping grounds for those hoping to dispose of tires free, the board felt that would be a better alternative than having the tires in side ditches along roads.

When talk turned to charging a small per-tire fee for collection, as is done during the fall hazardous waste day, some feared that would encourage illegal dumping of the tires.

"The majority of people ... are good neighbors and wouldn't do that. Some are not (good neighbors)," Zimmerman said.

Miller, who is president of Jay County Commissioners, said he would talk to highway superintendent Ken Wellman about various options to handle the problem.

In other business Monday, members of the district board:

•Were informed by Hayes that winning entries in the recent art contest using recyclable materials are currently on display at the Jay County Public Library.

•Approved claims totaling $11,849.23, leaving the district with $70,626.63 in its checking account and $102,293.79 in an investment account.

District tipping fee income for April was $18,048, based on 14,583.95 tons of trash deposited in the Jay County Landfill. District operations are funded by a $1.25 per ton fee collected and paid to the district by landfill operator Waste Management of Indiana.

•Heard Hayes report that Delta Theta Tau sorority of Dunkirk will staff a fifth Saturday drop-off recycling trailer on Saturday, May 30.[[In-content Ad]]