District to offer electronics recycling

Residents will again have a local option for electronics recycling.
The Jay County Solid Waste Management District Board on Monday approved using Green Wave Computer Recycling to reinstate its recycling program.
The board also discussed Tox Away Day, approved a contract for new director Ronyelle Edwards and heard a request for a new program from educator Bettie Jacobs.
The waste district had previously allowed local residents to drop off electronic items such as televisions and computers at the district office to be recycled. It discontinued that service this summer when it did not have a reliable organization to dispose of the electronics.
After initially discussing the company last month, Edwards gathered more information about Green Wave and told the board it offers recycling services at a cost of $249 per pick up plus a 12-cent per pound fee for CRT glass screens. The company will drop off eight to 12 pallets with 45-inch tall boxes in which to place recyclable electronics and pick them up when they are full.
Edwards also noted that she offered NuGenesis, which handles Tox Away Day, the opportunity to quote for the service. The company declined.
Because there is just the cost for pick-up and no long-term contract with Green Wave, the board members agreed it seemed like a low-risk option.
“I think we should at least try it,” said board member Dan Watson. “We need to have an outlet for that stuff. We can try it and see what happens.”
Edwards will contact Green Wave to have pallets dropped off, and the district will advertise locally when it is ready to begin accepting electronics for recycling.
Part of the reason the district board was interested in bringing back the program was the amount of TVs — 347 — that were discarded at Tox Away Day on Oct. 10. Edwards noted that the total was more than the previous four years combined, with just 88 being turned in during 2014.
The jump in TVs was part of an overall increase for the event that encourages residents to dispose of hazardous household items. NuGenesis collected nearly 120,000 pounds of items, up more than 30,000 pounds from last year.
Because there were long lines for Tox Away Day, board members Jeanne Houchins, Doug Inman, Randy Geesaman, Bill Gibson, Jim Zimmerman and Watson, absent Faron Parr, talked about the possibility of adding a second Tox Away Day during the year or moving it to a different site. The consensus was that the cost — a flat rate of $24,000 — is prohibitive to having a second day, but they plan to consider the possibility of moving the event to a larger site such as Jay County High School.
The board agreed to a 14-month contract with Edwards, who had been on a 90-day probationary period since being hired in July. She will be paid at a rate of $23,000 per year.
Jacobs, the district educator, asked about the possibility of using some of the district’s cash balance to encourage recycling at local schools.
She noted her feeling that since the district has a healthy balance of nearly $470,000, it should use some of that money to offer grants for teachers and/or schools to implement recycling programs. Board members encouraged her to write a proposal.
The district’s cash balance has been on a steady rise after sitting at $66,000 in 2010. It had climbed to $350,000 in October 2014 and is now at $469,225.06.
In other business, the board:
•Approved requests for $200 to renew its banner at West Jay Community Center, $80 to advertise in the St. Mary’s Catholic Church (Dunkirk) bulletin and $35 to be part of The Commercial Review’s business showcase.
•Heard from Edwards that an additional appropriation will be necessary for the year to cover some increased costs, including for the weekend recycling trailers. The board instructed her to go through the necessary process of advertising for an additional appropriation of $15,000 so that it can be voted on at the November meeting.
•Learned the district brought in tipping fees of $32,252 in September. It now has $220,906.10 in its checking account and $248,318.96 in its savings.