Some residents of the town of Winona Lake are putting the wrong items in their recycling containers, including dead fish.
During the town council meeting Tuesday, Clerk-Treasurer Kent Adams provided a flyer stating that Advanced Disposal reported several residents are placing styrofoam, yard waste and other non-recyclables in their recycling containers. One recycling can even contained dead fish.
The result of placing non-recyclables in recycling containers is that the truckload is rejected at the recycling center and has to be taken to the landfill to be dumped as regular garbage.
Town Coordinator Craig Allebach said, “So it’s not just a container issue, it’s the whole truck, so we want to make sure people adhere to the recycling guidelines.”
Recycling guidelines are on the town’s website at www.winonalake.net. Allebach said information on recycling was included in January’s wastewater bill.
Tecy Banta, councilwoman, said, “Truckloads of stuff going to the dump instead of going into recycling because somebody leaves some styrofoam in it. It’s astounding that people can’t read and comply. And it’s really important, I think, to take note of that and spread that word.”
Allebach said the town doesn’t want to jeopardize its recycling program because of a few people.
“We’ve, quite frankly, probably been one of the best recycling communities in the county, since the beginning, so we want to keep that up,” he said.
Banta said, “And very laxed, because we can throw all the recyclables in one container. We don’t have to sort. When I left California 14-15 years ago now, we had to sort everything and put it out. They then picked it up, sorted, in their sorted truck and took it away. But Winona Lake has been wonderful about allowing us to put everything in one bin and I think it’s being abused because of that.”
