By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
Blatant abuse of its Elm St. recycling dropoff site is causing the City of Decatur to curtail hours the site will be open.
People are throwing their trash into the recycle dumpsters, city Street/Sanitation Superintendent Matt Schultz told city council at its Tuesday night meeting.
It’s become not only an increasingly difficult situation to deal with, but it’s costing the city money.
“Weekends have been really rough,” Schultz explained.
Trash is being placed in the dumpsters, along with items for recycling. cardboard and the like. So city employees have to spend time removing the trash or it goes to the recycling site in Fort Wayne.
“We have to pay (to have the recyclables) taken (by a Fort Wayne firm),”Mayor Dan Rickord said. “So it’s being abused and city residents are paying for it.”
People who don’t live in the city are among those dumping trash, it was pointed out.
There are cameras at the dropoff site, but they are only mildly helpful in curbing the abuse.
Schultz proposed and council agreed to close down the Elm St. site on Friday through Sunday each week. “We can monitor it much better during the week,” Schultz said.
“It’s a great service that’s being abused. It could go away,” Councilman Matt Dyer warned.
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