Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management District
1 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Room 327
Evansville, IN 47708
812-436-7800
Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. in Room 301 of the Civic Center Complex.
District Purposes Statement
To develop and implement an education program that improves the awareness and understanding of solid waste management activities, including waste reduction, recycling, and household hazardous waste.
To rely on the private sector to develop the facilities and services necessary to implement the Solid Waste Plan, but to maintain the environment necessary for the needed services to be efficiently delivered at a reasonable cost.
Program Summaries
Recycling: Curbside recycling is provided to most city residents every other week. To complement the city curbside recycling program, there are more than 25 private companies and not-for-profit organizations with over 40 sites where one can drop off various recyclables. The District provides information to the public about the curbside program and maintains a current list of the drop-off centers. In addition, the District works with other area businesses and community groups on a wide variety of recycling projects.
Holiday Recycling: The Holiday Recycling Program in early January offers residents a chance to bring their Christmas trees to be mulched and provides an opportunity to recycle a number of items. In addition to standard recyclables, items such as greeting cards, gift boxes, wrapping paper, telephone books, hardback books, and household batteries are collected.
Drop-Off Recycle Days: The District sponsors drop-off recycle days throughout the year at various locations in Vanderburgh County. The goal of these drop-off days is to make recycling service more accessible to residents who dont have curbside recycling service, especially those who live outside the city limits and those who live in apartments. Material collected at the drop-off days includes: cardboard, mixed paper, magazines & catalogs, newspaper, glass containers (all colors), aluminum cans, steel/tin cans, #1 PETE plastic containers and #2 HDPE plastic containers. In 2008, 3,521 vehicles brought 118 tons of material to be recycled.
Tires: Used tires can be brought to the District's Tire Amnesty Days which are held in April and October. This program provides an environmentally proper method of disposal so that tires are kept out of the landfill and are not illegally dumped. Many Neighborhood Associations and other civic groups find this to be a beneficial program and a great way to clean up the community. In 2008, 2,252 tires were collected.
Household Hazardous Waste: The District's annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program, or Tox-Away Day, is held each year in September. This program offers residents a safe disposal option for household hazardous chemicals as well as an opportunity for them to learn about ways to properly store, handle, and dispose of these materials. Items such as paint, used motor oil, antifreeze, chemicals, pesticides and other hazardous materials are collected at this very popular event. 2,090 vehicles brought 132 tons of household hazardous waste from 2,346 households to the program in 2008.
Computers & Electronics: The District conducted two computer and electronics recycling programs in 2008, one in May and another in October. 1,638 vehicles brought approximately 17,700 electronic items, or about 175,000 pounds, including 1,177 computers, 1,299 monitors, 945 televisions and 968 printers.
Batteries: The District conducts its Household Battery Recycling Program in conjunction with Buehlers Buy Low Grocery Stores. Collection bins are available at most Buehlers location for the public to drop off household batteries for recycling. Auto batteries are accepted at some battery retail stores and at a number of salvage companies in the area.
Yard Waste: Residents of the city of Evansville have curbside yard waste pick up service on a weekly basis from mid March through mid December. County residents can either contract with a private hauler for yard waste service or they can take the yard waste to a site at the landfill. Information on composting is available at the District office.
Waste Oil Collection: There are 12 locations in Vanderburgh County that accept oil for recycling, all of which are operated by private companies.
Education: The District develops and distributes educational materials to citizens and business on waste reduction, recycling, composting, hazardous waste, improper disposal and other issues. The District works with Keep Evansville Beautiful on solid waste reduction, litter awareness, and recycling for elementary school students. The District operates, along with the Urban Enterprise Association, a recycling education center for schools and civic organizations. Two quarterly newsletters, one for students and one for the general public, are distributed by the District. In addition, District staff are available to speak to area schools, businesses, and civic groups.
Waste Assessments: Businesses and offices within the District can request a waste analysis to identify potentially recyclable materials and suggest methods to reduce waste stream output.
Final Disposal: There is one privately-owned disposal site in Vanderburgh County. Allied Waste, Inc. (formerly Browning-Ferris Industries) owns and operates Laubscher Meadows landfill. Approximately 63% of the residential, commercial, and industrial waste in Vanderburgh County, including that from the City of Evansville residential contract, is disposed in this landfill. Allied Waste handles over 303,000 tons of waste annually at this landfill from Vanderburgh and the surrounding counties (Posey, Gibson, Warrick and Henderson).
Veolia Environmental Services operates a transfer station in the northeast part of Vanderburgh County. Approximately 37%, about 112,000 tons, of the waste in Vanderburgh County went through this transfer station which was then shipped to Veolia's Blackfoot landfill in Pike County.
District Budget and Funding: The Vanderburgh County Solid Waste Management Districts 2009 annual budget is $505,237. The District is funded by a $1.50 per ton surcharge on waste dumped at the Laubscher Meadows landfill.
| District Staff |
|
| Joseph D. Ballard |
Executive Director |
| Jim Daniels |
Recycling Coordinator |
| Susan Jeffries |
Administrator |
Citizens Advisory Committee: The Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) is comprised of various members of the community with diverse backgrounds and expertise. The CAC's role is to discuss solid waste issues and provide input to the Board and staff on implementation of the Solid Waste Plan.