Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District hears update on Back to the Basics

The Stark-Tuscarawas-Wayne Joint Solid Waste Management District board of directors heard an update on Back to the Basics at its Jan. 9 meeting.

“We want to refocus on required public drop-offs in the district,” Executive Director David Held said. “The recycling site decals and signs have reduced contamination from 65% to 5%, along with data collection and recycling weights. The school sector, outreach, education and grant restructuring is also being considered.”

Held said the district is required to collect curbside recycling in cities, villages and townships, and costs continue to increase for trucks and bins. The district collects regardless of market value.

“Drop-off costs continue to increase and the commodity market is lower,” Held said. “The district was collecting $75 a ton for cardboard and has been reduced to $5 a ton. The market continues to fluctuate. Co-mingled recycling, such as glass, plastic and aluminum, was generating $15 a ton. Now the district pays to recycle co-mingled materials at $30 a ton. For 20-years we have worked with the schools to pick up recycling at no cost, but now they can include it with their trash-hauling contractor. At the schools, the recycling of paper has declined.”

In another matter, Jonathan Hofstetter, Wayne County commissioner, was named 2026 chairperson; Richard Regula, Stark County commissioner, vice chairperson; and Erica Wright, board secretary. The board is made up of three county commissioners from each of Stark, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties.

In other business

-Learned the Drug Take Back is now being handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Medway. In Stark County, all sites have been removed and redirected to public sites, with 19 DEA collection sites available. Tuscarawas County has DEA locations available, and Wayne County is operated by Medway and not affected by district reductions, with five DEA locations.

-Renewed property-liability insurance with Public Entities Pool of Ohio at an annual cost of $31,964, an increase of $2,765 over 2024.

-Heard tipping-fee revenue was up 1.57% through November compared to 2024. The district projects 2026 tipping-fee revenue at an estimated $3.5 million annually based on revenue over the past two years.

-Heard the district saved $56,802 through the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency illegally dumped tire program. Wayne County removed 11.14 tons of tires; the Canton Recycling Center removed 91.96 tons; Tuscarawas County removed 3.04 tons; and Canton Township in Stark County removed 30.45 tons.

-Learned the draft plan is due to Ohio EPA April 20. The ratification requirement includes a 90-day period and needs 60% approval by member communities, including Canton, New Philadelphia and Wooster, beginning Jan. 1. The final ratified plan is due to Ohio EPA June 22, 2027.

Other information

Committee appointments for 2026 are Budget-Alan Harold, Stark County; Mitch Pace, Tuscarawas County; Matt Martin, Wayne County. Personnel-Richard Regula, Stark County; Greg Ress, Tuscarawas County; Hofstetter, Wayne County. Policy-Bill Smith, Stark County; Kristin Zemis, Tuscarawas County; David McMillen, Wayne County. Audit-Smith, Zemis and McMillen. Landfill-Rules-Regula, Zemis and Hofstetter. Records-Harold, Pace and Martin.

The policy committee will meet Jan. 30 at 9:30 a.m. in the district office in Bolivar.

The board meetings will be held March 6, May 1, July 10, Sept. 4 and Nov. 6. All meetings begin at 9:30 a.m.

The next meeting is March 6 at 9:30 a.m. at 9918 Wilkshire Blvd. NW, Bolivar.