By Terrie Schmidt-Crosby
The Record 

Recycling bins used and abused in equal measure

 

Last updated 10/13/2021 at 6:33pm



ODESSA – The Odessa Town Council met Monday, Oct. 11, in the public library. With no old business to revisit, the council moved right on to new business. New Odessa homeowner Jason Shipman and his wife attended the meeting to request an adjustment to their water bill rate due to a complicated issue involving a tenant in a converted garage on their property. Following discussion in which council members mostly appeared agreeable to the rate request, the council opted to table the issue until the next meeting, while certain questions were first clarified.

The recycling bins were once more back on the agenda, as the bins are already full soon after empty bins were last delivered. Rory Wintersteen of the Lincoln County Transfer Station in Davenport was contacted by speakerphone and asked about rates and how often other towns and cities have their bins replaced with empty bins. Wintersteen responded that the recyclables coming out of Odessa cost Lincoln County more to process because of the contaminants thrown into the bins (20 to 25 percent of what is collected in the bins). By contaminants he means items other than cardboard being put into the cardboard bin, including Styrofoam, other packing materials and even general garbage. The plastic recycling requires sorting out plastic items not identified as No. 1 or No. 2 plastics, which takes workers extra time. Mayor Bill Crossley asked specifically whether the recyclables are truly recycled or end up in a landfill, as certain rumors have maintained. Wintersteen said the recyclables do not go into a landfill and listed several different companies to which the various items are sent, including Schnitzer Steel for metals, JMK Fibers in Tacoma for a variety of recyclables, Inland Empire Paper in Spokane which recycles newspapers into new kinds of paper and two companies in Canada that recycle plastics.

The council opted to continue with once-a-month pickup of recyclables, since the town cannot afford more frequent pickup. The town clerk has posted the guidelines for recyclables on its website and on its utility bills, but problems with contamination continue to occur.

A public hearing on revenue sources for the Town of Odessa will be held prior to the next council meeting on Oct. 25.

The council agreed to use the remainder of the town’s Covid funding to help finish the flooring in the Old Town Hall. The floor in the kitchen side of the lower story will be sanded and stained to match the color of the new flooring in the renovated side, then finished with three coats of polyurethane necessary for high-traffic areas. The Old Town Hall project and Lowe’s participation in it will be celebrated Friday, Oct. 22, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at OTH and the public is invited.

One percent of the county’s property taxes goes to towns and cities to be used for street repairs, police, buildings and the cemetery. Councils must request their one percent each year, so council approved the request to be sent.

A building permit for a new fence was approved.

Police Chief Jimerson reported on a fairly quiet week, with only five traffic stops (1 speeding, 2 equipment issues and 2 failure to stop at stop sign). He also responded to a welfare check, a medical assist call and a dog complaint. He requested that citizens not hesitate to call law enforcement right away for serious matters. Waiting for a week or two to report an incident only allows evidence to disappear, memories to fade, etc. Of course, that does not mean calling 911 every time an unfamiliar car passes by your house, but it will be much more likely for the police to deal successfully with the incident if it is reported immediately.

Public works reported that street work may be completed by Oct. 18, at which time the punch list will have to be dealt with.

A budget meeting was scheduled for Oct. 14.

Author Bio

Terrie Schmidt-Crosby, Editor

Terrie Schmidt-Crosby is an editor with Free Press Publishing. She is the former owner and current editor of the Odessa Record, based in Odessa, Wash.

 

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