Through its continued fiscal responsibility, remaining under budget in 2010, the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County will be able to reinstate some services for Porter County residents in 2011 that were scheduled to be cut.
At its January meeting, the district’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a recommendation from staff to use encumbered funds to reinstate the tire collection event, as well as keep the Valparaiso compost site open on Wednesdays this year. Both services originally were not funded in the 2011 budget due to rising costs.
The tire collection will be added to the district’s May 21 One Stop Drop recycling event, where unwanted appliances, electronics and household hazardous waste are already scheduled to be collected from residents. The district takes in between 1,500 and 2,000 tires at each of its tire collection events.
With the continuation of Wednesday hours at Valpo’s compost site, 2150 Lincolnway, Porter County residents will be assured of uninterrupted operations, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, along with 9 to 4 p.m. Saturdays. On any given Wednesday, approximately 50 Porter County residents visit the compost site to drop off yard waste, collect compost, or drop off their electronics for recycling.
The district’s Board of Directors agreed that although the District is able to provide the services in 2011 due to savings in 2010, there is no guarantee that it will continue to be made available after 2011. The ability to offer these services in the future will be determined during the budget process for next year.
“We definitely are doing our job when it comes to educating people about our services,” said Therese Davis, executive director of the district. “As more people practice greener lifestyles, the use of our services increases and so do our costs. But that’s the cost of success. It’s both a good and bad place to be.”
More information on the services and events provided by the Recycling and Waste Reduction District of Porter County can be found on its website, www.ItMeansTheWorld.org.