EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written in response to a reader-submitted question through Open Source, a platform where readers can ask Ashland Source’s newsroom to investigate a question.
ASHLAND — The answer is a bit complicated.
There are various businesses in Ashland County and nearby that offer recycling of old TVs and computer monitors. See that list here.
But the county is still building a recycling drop-off program that would accept old TVs and computer monitors.
Launching that in Ashland County is going to take another couple weeks, said commissioner president Denny Bittle.
“We’re just now finishing up the tire recycling program,” he said, referring to a program recently launched to help people rid of small and medium-sized tires.
It was the latest in an effort to bring back recycling as a service to residents following the shuttering of its recycling center last December.
The county commissioners launched a program in June offering the recycling of plastics, cardboard, glass that can be dropped at 54 green bins scattered throughout the county at 15 locations.
The commissioners then hosted a Hazardous Waste Collection at the Ashland County Fairgrounds for fuel, paint and other chemicals in July.
The next step, Bittle said, is finding vendors able to recycle batteries (think car batteries, not small batteries for toys and whatnot) and small electronics such as computers and TV monitors.
Bittle said setting up a privatized recycling program takes time because of the requirements set up by the federal government and finding companies willing and able to accommodate.
“It’s not just a matter of ‘here, drop this off.’ I wish it was — believe me,” he said.
Before it shut down in December 2020, the county’s recycling center offered recycling of “almost everything,” Bittle said. It closed because it was costing the county more and more money to operate.
The commissioner also said sorting the recycling bins — a job done by people — was getting to be too inefficient and a safety hazard.
Jim Skora, the county’s contracted solid waste district director, said the facility processed 2,000 to 2,800 tons of recyclables per year before it closed.
The new program is in its infancy, but residents have thrown away around 140 tons of recyclables since June, according to data provided by Skora.
“It’ll be interesting to see how much it grows before it plateaus,” Skora said, adding the success of the recycling program depends on people following the rules.
“Folks, what we accept and don’t accept is on the website,” he said. Skora said one of the sites recently had particle board wood and insulation sticking out of the top of one of the bins.
The recycle bins do not accept construction material, he said.
“If the rules are abused … we could pull the site,” Skora said. “The county commissioners don’t want to go down that path. It’s not much of a problem now, but we just don’t want to have it.”
The items accepted in the recycle bins are displayed on each bin and on the solid waste district’s website.
Skora and Bittle reiterated the importance of not mixing recyclables with plastic bags. The bags get caught in equipment and is a pain to fix.
“Bags continue to be our greatest contamination,” Skora said. “If you bring your recyclables in bags, just empty the bags, keep them and reuse them. When they get into the equipment, they get wrapped into the conveyors and it causes all kids of problems.”
Commissioners have said plastic bags can be recycled at grocery stores, such as Wal-Mart.
Skora said he plans on installing stickers on all 54 bins’ doors that remind people to not throw plastic bags in with their recyclables.
Bittle wants to introduce other recycling programs in the near future, including a service for fluorescent bulbs, larger appliances like refrigerators and freezers, and metal.
In the meantime, the county will continue to offer recycling in its bins, a tire program and a hazardous waste day.
