Kosciusko County Recycling Depot Director Tom Ganser talks with the Solid Waste Management District during a Jan. 18 meeting. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The Kosciusko County Solid Waste Management District discussed concerns with Whitley Environmental during a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 18.

Whitley Environmental, Columbia City, has been the depot’s recycling contractor since 2020. The contract is for nine consumer drop-off locations in Kosciusko County, with stations in Warsaw, North Webster, Syracuse, Claypool, Leesburg, Mentone, Milford, Pierceton and Silver Lake.

Kosciusko County Recycling Depot Director Tom Ganser said there have been “bumps in the road” with Whitley Environmental since December 2021.

“We’ve taken several complaints,” said Ganser. “I’ve been on the road on the weekends looking at sites. They’ve had a few days where they just didn’t run. Everything gets blown over and it’s a mess. This will be the second time that I’ve pulled the bonus away from them and if they get any more complaints, it might be the first time I’ve ever had to go negatively into their payment. The contract allows for reduction up to, I think it’s 4%, of the total if they don’t hit their scores.”

Board Member Cary Groninger asked if Whitley Environmental had staffing issues.

“I’m calling and getting a deer in the headlights,” said Ganser about the situation with Whitley Environmental. “You should know where your people are or aren’t. You should be checking with your drivers to make sure they ran over the weekend.”

In other business, Ganser told the board the recycling depot is currently accepting applications for the 2022 Citizens Action Committee. Any citizens in Kosciusko County with an interest in waste management issues and environmental stewardship are invited to apply.

Applications will be accepted until Feb. 28 and can be found on the depot’s website and Facebook page.

Call the depot’s office at (574) 372-3087 with any questions.

“We’d love to have representation from folks that are truly interested in what our mission is and helping us achieve our goals,” said Ganser.

Ganser also asked the board about a COVID-19 policy for employees at the depot who become sick with the virus.

“We had a core policy but we never addressed issues if somebody comes down with it, does it count toward their time off, is it lost time?” said Ganser.

Ganser said he’d like to get a document written to present to the board for future approval regarding a policy.

The board’s next meeting is at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 15.