Winamac Town Council talks trash

Concerns with the increasing cost of the trash and recycling pickup have Winamac council members questioning if there are other options.
Councilman Dan Vanaman first approached the topic of the trash pickup when the council approved the 2017 budget because he did not like the price. 
The conversation regarding trash continued at the end of the meeting, when councilwoman Judy Heater asked Vanaman if the town could get a better offer. 
“I have had too many complaints about them picking up the garbage and the recycling at the same time,” Vanaman said. 
Vanaman said that at one point, the county had mentioned handling the recycling in town. He said he had not talked to recycling and transfer station manager Brad Bonnell lately but maybe the county could do that. 
Heater then asked if the county could handle the recycling and the current garbage company still pick up the trash at a reduced rate. 
Councilman Tom Murray said that was tried in the beginning and the county didn’t want it. 
Heater clarified that when the trash company picked it up, it was all together and dumped. If the county handled it would be different. 
Town attorney Justin Schramm said he is not familiar with the contract but many times if there is a breach of contract then the town can look at different options. 
Vanaman would like to see the town handle the garbage pickup again. If that can’t happen then he would like to see the recycling handled locally “because then you know it’s not going to the landfill.”
Murray said the town doesn’t have it in the budget to handle more employees. 
The council decided that further information needed to be gathered and it could be discussed again at a future meeting. 

See the full story in the Pulaski County Journal, available in print and e-edition.

Pulaski County Journal

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Winamac, IN 46996

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