Click here to download video cutaway material and photos of landfill and recycling.
Elkhart County, Indiana (December 20, 2021) – The Elkhart County Landfill will be consolidating 15 scattered recycling drop-off locations throughout the County into 5 strategically chosen locations starting in January 2022.
"The decision to consolidate from 15 to 5 reflects volume at many of the locations," commented John Bowers, Manager of the Elkhart County Landfill. "The site that sees the lowest volume of drop-offs is the County Landfill itself. That's understandable because it's kind of out of the way for most people. But, there are nine other sites scattered throughout the County where volume is relatively low compared to the five that we are now going to encourage people to use."
The five consolidated sites will be located at the following: Cobblestone on the north side of Elkhart, in Middlebury at Forks County Line Market, Middlebury, Nappanee, and a new site will be constructed over the next several months at the Southeast corner of Wilden Avenue and Indiana Avenue across from the Goshen Waste Water Treatment Plant. The Martins site on Bashor Road will remain operational until the new site is completed.
As for the remaining sites, the plan is to close them soon after the first of the year. There will be no charges to consumers who use these locations for drop-off recycling.
"The sites accept paper, boxes, packing supplies, bottles, cans, and even pizza boxes. However, it's best if folks place their recyclables loosely in their bin and not bag them," added Bowers. "We also like to remind people that we can't accept wire, hoses, cords, mattresses, and things like junk should not be left at these locations. When junk is left behind, we have to pay to have
the sites cleaned up. So, please ask yourself if you are leaving something that can be recycled. If it's trash, it's not something we can recycle."
"We're really lucky to have a forward-thinking waste management team," added Suzie Weirick, President of the Elkhart County Commissioners. "They love what they do. And they're always thinking about how they can do it better. I can honestly say they love talking trash."
"We believe in keeping as much reusable and recyclable material as possible out of the County Landfill," added Bowers. "It's a responsibility we take seriously. And it also adds years of life to the existing Landfill."
Click here to download video cutaway material and photos of landfill and recycling.
A downloadable PDF of this release is available here.