Washington City Council votes not to enter contract with Wemiga Waste

WASHINGTON - Residents in the City of Washington have just over a month to use the recycling center in town as the Washington City Council unanimously decided to not enter into a contract with Wemiga Waste.

At the city council meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 20, Washington City Administrator Brent Hinson explained the city and county used to have an agreement with one another over usage of the center. That agreement has since been dissolved now that the City of Washington has changed garbage and recycling providers and have entered into a contract with Johnson County Refuse.

Because of this new contract, Hinson said in a memo to the council, that he did not feel there was as big a need for the recycling center for local residents because they are already offered the service through Johnson County Refuse. Choosing to enter into an agreement with Wemiga Waste to allow city residents to use the facility would come at a cost of $1,500 a month, or $18,000 a year, to the city.

Lynn Whaley, owner of Wemiga Waste, submitted a memo to the council where he explained he came up with the $1,500 a month number by basing the agreement on a day rate of $60. Washington Mayor Jaron Rosien expressed concern over the cost when Whaley confirmed he does not keep track of how many city residents use the service, he only knows they do because he is required to check they are either from the City of Washington or Washington County when they drop off material.

If the council chose not to enter into an agreement with the center, the residents would still have a recycling option, Hinson reminded, but said commercial businesses would not. Previously, businesses in the Washington area were permitted to drop off recyclables at the center but without a contract by the city, will no longer be able to use the service for free. Instead, they must enter into their own contract with Wemiga Waste and pay separately.

Washington city council member Steven Gault said he recognized this could come as a hit to businesses who are used to the free service, but believes business owners should pay for their services just as private residents do.

'I understand that we supplied this for many years and people didn't pay for it, but now we're at a point where everybody has to pay for it,” he said. 'I'm sorry for the businesses, I really am. If you've had 20 years without paying for your (recycling), it's going to be a slap on you. But by the same token, you've had 20 years free.”

City council member Elaine Moore agreed, saying she did not see the need for a contract when private residents already had a means of recycling and 'commercial has had 20 years of free.” Other council members agreed the fee of $1,500 a month was too steep for what they believed would be a service primarily utilized by commercial businesses when there was no way to track how many city residents were utilizing it.

In the memo sent by Whaley, he outlined that the center would be beneficial to the city because it provided disposal of electronic items, tires and oil among other materials that cannot be thrown away in a trash can. Hinson said the cost was still not justifed because city residents can take those materials to the SEMCO landfill the city has a contract with.

The council then decided not to enter a contract with Wemiga and set a date of Sept. 30 as being the last day for City of Washington residents to drop off recyclable materials there.