District will purchase bins

Local residents will soon be offered a way to recycle when they’re at youth athletic events, community gatherings and other activities.
Jay County Solid Waste Management District’s board decided Monday to purchase indoor recycling receptacles as well as lids to make outdoor bins out of barrels it already has on hand. The recycling containers will be made available for use at community events as well as youth sports facilities.
District director Ronyelle Edwards brought up the idea at the district board’s March meeting to purchase bins to create a recycling program similar to Hancock County’s “Lend a Bin.”
The plan was to have recycling bins on hand that could be used for short-term events in the county such as the Jay County Fair, Jay County Historical Society’s Heritage Festival and activities at the community centers. Board members expanded that idea to include buying bins for use at local junior league fields, pools and Freeman Scouting Facility, and asked Edwards to get prices on several items.
Edwards suggested to the board Monday that rather than buying bins for outdoor use, it could instead purchase lids and repurpose the 55-gallon barrels it receives from POET Biorefining in Portland.
Board members backed that idea, voting unanimously to purchase 20 lids to make the outdoor barrels in addition to 10 containers from ClearStream Recycling for indoor use. The total cost will be $1,778.

Jeanne Houchins, the board’s president, suggested the district look into adding a line item to its budget to help keep track of spending on new initiatives such as the recycling containers.
In other business, board members Doug Inman, Jim Zimmerman, Faron Parr, Randy Geesaman, Tom Johnson, Bill Gibson and Houchins:
•Heard from Edwards that the district received $23,174 in tipping fees in April on 13,411.81 tons dumped at Jay County Landfill. Board members also paid claims totaling $17,465.95, leaving the district with a balance of $489,505.77.
•Learned from district educator Bettie Jacobs that the Dumpster Drummers assemblies at East Jay and West Jay Middle Schools have been rescheduled for May 16. The group, which plays music on trash containers and recycled materials, was originally scheduled to perform Friday in Jay County but postponed the show because of a death in the family of one of its members. It will play at 9:15 a.m. at East Jay and 12:30 p.m. at West Jay.
•Asked Jacobs to order reusable bags made out of recyclable materials to be given away to visitors at JCSWMD’s booth at the Jay County Fair. Jacobs also reported that the district will have recycling trailers for both the fair and the inaugural Rural America Farm & Garden Expo.
•Learned Edwards will attend a training session May 18 that will address new Indiana Department of Local Government Finance requirements for solid waste districts.
•Were reminded that area residents can drop off unused prescription drugs to Portland Police Department for disposal.