ASHLAND — Ashland County Solid Waste District makes the most of its small staff size.
James Skora, Ashland County Solid Waste District coordinator, is considered a part-time employee. If you count its contracted educator, the agency still has under two employees — technically speaking.
But even with limited hands, Ashland County Solid Waste District provides several opportunities for county residents to keep their communities clean.
Skora joined the Ashland County Board of Commissioners’ meeting Thursday to report on the performance of initiatives from the past year, including ongoing programs and special one-day collection events.
Ongoing programs include everything from youth education and recycling drop off to scrap tire and appliance collections. Below is an image containing 2025 statistics from each of the agency’s ongoing programs, courtesy of Skora.
He referred to the recycling drop off program as the agency’s “big kahuna,” which includes 15 drop off sites that can be accessed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In 2025, more than 1.2 million pounds were recycled, a slight increase from 2024, he said.
Compliance with the items accepted at the 15 scattered bins is improving, Skora said. But issues with plastic bags remain fairly persistent.
Grocery-style plastic bags, while accepted by other locally organized recycling programs, along with trash bags, Ziploc bags and chip and candy bags are not to be included in the agency’s recycling drop off bins.
A list of accepted plastics, along with other items, can be viewed here.
Due to the nature of how the bins are picked up for transport, Skora said the bags can cause issues when the solid waste is being processed by machinery.
“It would be like trying to combine beans with bags in the field,” he said. “It doesn’t work well.”
More than 110,000 pounds of scrap tires and 12,000 pounds of freon-containing appliances were also collected and recycled within the past year.
Along with its ongoing programs, the agency also organizes three special, one-day collection events — including a household hazardous waste and pain collection program, the farm tire collection and recycling program and the electronic waste and television collection and recycling program.
Statistics from those special events in 2025 are pictured below.
Lack of ‘fixed facility’ has not reduced results
The Ashland County Recycling Center closed in December 2020. But recycling opportunities returned throughout the county around July 2021.
Skora said the efficiency of the agency has improved since moving away from a fixed facility to primarily contracted programs. It operates on a budget between $380,000 and $390,000.
It’s funded through fees collected per ton of solid waste that is landfilled at any of the agency’s designated sites, he said.
The district is paid $8 per ton of solid waste landfilled, generating roughly $380,000. Another $3 per ton is received for the post-closure care of the Ashland County Landfill, which closed in the mid 1990s.
“When we first closed the recycling center, it was a little bit of a shock to the community,” said Commissioner Denny Bittle. “But we were fortunate at that point to be able to hire you (Skora).
“We get way more tonnage (now) (of recycling) for way less staff members and it does way better because it is 24/7. Before it was 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and that’s all we had,” Bittle said.
More information about recycling opportunities and accepted items can be found at the Ashland County Solid Waste District website.
