Waste district welcomes new assistant director
Steve Tharp Jr. was named assistant executive director of the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District in November 2023; however, Executive Director David Held made the official announcement at the Feb. 2 board of directors meeting.
The assistant executive director is responsible for assisting Held in the development and implementation of the Solid Waste Management Plan. The assistant executive director coordinates several special programs for the district including the household hazardous waste collection program, the residential and scrap tire cleanup program, and the health and safety program.
Tharp has been employed by the district since 2017 as a district operations coordinator. He is a graduate of Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. He also has a degree in music and is a professional musician. He plays the violin with the Wooster Symphony Orchestra and has played with the Tuscarawas Philharmonic Orchestra.
He received the James S. Burgess Professional Award and the Solid Waste Professional Award of the year, was past president of the Solid Waste District of Ohio, and served on the board of the Solid Waste Association of North American Buckeye Chapter.
Some of his duties include evaluating and promoting programs and making recommendations to management regarding purchases, new signage, program improvements and changes to recycling programs.
He manages the DOT drug/alcohol testing program; works with the district safety team to establish safe workplace policies; investigates reported accidents/incidents involving district employees, property, vendors and visitors to ensure all contractors are in compliance with district safety standards; and conducts staff training and services as the primary contact for all local government agencies.
He also works with representatives of local communities and businesses on the development and implementation of recycling programs and ensures recycling services are provided to local communities either directly or through contracting.
He assists with employee requests, concerns, and disciplinary and work-related issues; assumes day-to-day operations of the district in the absence of the executive director and as a delegate; works daily to determine associate work schedules; assists in the interview process; and provides input, assistance in the annual employee evaluation process and approval for repairs to recycling equipment. All phases are directed by the executive director.
“Tires are illegally dumped in the area all year. Residents are permitted to bring to recycling sites 10 tires per person per year,” he said. “I like the flexibility of the job responsibilities and working with different people and communities. Every day brings something new.
“I am able to meet with local elected officials along with their people to address concerns.”
Tharp said there are 35 recycling sites in Stark County, 21 in Wayne County and 14 in Tuscarawas County. There are eight full-time employees that drive the district-owned trucks and four part-time drivers.
The Lytx Drive System was implemented to provide coaching for the drivers. He said cameras face the drivers and outside the truck. Tharp said there has been a significant drop in risks to the drivers or public. The cameras are only triggered if an event takes place such as slamming on the brakes or the driver takes a turn too quickly. Usually, it is a deer that ran out in front of them or something similar.
“We have a very dedicated group of drivers that collect recycling seven days a week, 24 hours a day,” he said.
Tharp said some goals for the Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Recycling District are to provide safe and cost-efficient recycling services to the three counties, provide the highest levels of training to the class B recycling drivers using the Lytx Drive System, and maintain high standards of excellence in financial reporting with 13 clean audits in a row.
