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Who We Are:The District was formed in 1991 by St. Joseph County ordinances 76-90 and 3-91. These ordinances were to establish a District in accordance with House Enrolled act 12-40 (HEA 12-40). The Board of the District is comprised of elected officials from South Bend, Mishawaka, and the County. The District offers comprehensive recycling, household hazardous waste (HHW), educational, and composting services to the citizens of St. Joseph County. These services include:
A Local Governmental Agency:Solid Waste Management Districts are local governmental agencies specifically charged with an overall waste reduction statewide goal of 35 % by 1996 and 50% by 2002. Meeting the first goal was not without many challenges and time delays. As we move ahead as a State and more locally as a county, the obstacles facing the reduction and recycling departments are great. Economic factors, such as the cost to process and ultimately prevent these materials from the landfill, have fostered a mistrust and dislike for recycling programs. The value of throwing away less trash and fewer hazardous materials is far greater than a single focus approach in which the revenues received back from these waste items is small or in most cases a negative return. Funding:The taxing authority for the solid waste district agencies is similar to other governmental units in that they are required to follow public hearing and notification processes and comply with State budget filing guidelines. Many districts are funded by local property taxes collected by the county auditors office. Others are funded from a tax on the trash revenue (tipping fee) received at the local landfill in their county. The St. Joseph County SWMD is funded by the tipping fee option and as the community is successful at waste reduction strategies, the district could receive less monies in the future. Due to the varying and inconsistent financing of the latter funding option, the district may also impose a user fee for certain waste reduction services if it is in the betterment of the public health and safety. Certain legal requirements must be met in order to implement a user fee for district services. Waste Management Company Waste Management Inc. is a private for-profit company providing residential and commercial general trash and recycling services. They compete with othe trash hauling companies such as: Able, Allied Waste, BFI, Borden, Himco, and Key. Check your telephone book's yellow pages under rubbish or trash haulers for providers in your county. Organization:Our staff is here to serve you, please e-mail or call on us at any time. |
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