Yard waste collection program is being discontinued

According to Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District Executive Director David Held, funding for all yard waste collection sites in the district will be discontinued by Dec. 31, 2025. It was announced during the Feb. 14 board of directors meeting.

“We have four yard waste host site block grants to be awarded in 2025. They are the City of Dover, $19,638; Village of Dennison, $5,550; Lawrence Township, (Tuscarawas County), $12,468; and Perry Township, (Stark County), $20,880, for a total of $58,536,” Held said.

Held said in 2014 there were 15 yard waste collection sites, and that number has been reduced to four. The 2008 budget for yard waste collection was $686,234. The reason the yard waste collection program is being discontinued is due to changing market conditions and increased cost and volume.

Local entities are collecting yard waste but are not funded by the waste district. Some offer reader cards for an annual fee, and individuals bring their own yard waste to the site.

Held said many of the sites were having problems with commercial waste being placed at the sites. They do not accept commercial yard waste.

The board of directors consists of the commissioners from Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. They are Alan Harold, Richard Regula and Bill Smith of Stark County; Mitch Pace, Greg Ress and Kristin Zemis of Tuscarawas County; and Jonathan Hofstetter, Matt Martin and David McMillen of Wayne County.

The board also did the following:

—Held the election of 2025 officers. They are Kristin Zemis, chairperson, Tuscarawas County; Jonathan Hofstetter, vice chairperson, Wayne County; and Erica Wright, board secretary.

—Heard a 2025 Ohio Environmental Protection Agency Community and Litter Grant has been submitted for $100,000. The district is asking for site improvements at Canton Recycling Center for covering for tires, at Osnaburg Township for a concrete pad and at Kidron for public drop-offs. The grant also included supplies such as a gas pour-off feasibility study for Canton Recycling Center and purchase of a bulb crusher and supplies. The district will match $41,000 for the grant.

—Hired Terry Seeberger of Stark and Knoll, legal counsel for 2025, at a cost of $150 per hour.

—Approved a 2025 insurance renewal premium with Public Entities Pool of Ohio at a cost of $29,199, an increase of $952 annually.

—Heard the tipping fee revenue was down 1.32% in 2024 compared to 2023. The total tipping fees collected in 2024 were $3.4 million. The district’s tipping fees are in-district and out-of-state, $1 per ton, and out-of-district, $2 per ton. The fees have never been increased since the waste district was formed.

Other information

The board appointed the 2025 committees as follows: Alan Harold, Mitch Pace and Matt Martin, budget; Richard Regula, Greg Ress and Jonathan Hofstetter, personnel; Bill Smith, Kristin Zemis and David McMillen, policy; Smith, Zemis and McMillen, audit; Regula, Zemis and Hofstetter, landfill/rules; and Harold, Pace and Martin, records.

The board set JSW Board of Directors meetings as follows: March 7, May 2, July 11, Sept. 5 and Nov. 7 at 9:30 a.m.

The policy committee will meet Feb. 28 at 9:30 a.m. in the district office. The 21-member committee plans and updates the solid waste plan for the district. The 10-year plan is updated every three years.

The next board of directors meeting will be March 7 at 9:30 a.m. at 9918 Wilkshire Blvd. NE in Bolivar.