By Zach Jensen,

A Hawkeye Sanitation rear-load driver empties his truck Tuesday morning at the Winneshiek County Landfill. If approved, the Ossian rural waste collection site may be relocated to the landfill. (Photo by Zach Jensen)
Winneshiek County rural waste collection may undergo some changes as of Jan. 1, 2025, if a plan proposed by county officials falls into place.
The issue was discussed during the September 23 meeting of the Winneshiek County Board of Supervisors — during which Winneshiek County Landfill Director and Rural Waste Coordinator TJ Schissel proposed several changes to enhance rural waste collection while also potentially saving the county money.
The supervisors had originally discussed discontinuing the rural waste collection program in May but, after significant public input, the board reversed course and decided instead to collect data on how many rural county residents were using the service.
Before data collection, Schissel said the county estimated 500-600 people were using the rural collection sites per week, but in Monday’s meeting, Schissel said that number is actually closer to 1,450 — more than double the previous estimate.
Schissel suggested that if the county wanted to save some money, it could add more recycling containers to the rural waste collection sites, which would then be hauled by Winneshiek County Recycling. That move would save the county about $35,000 annually, Schissel said.
Another option Schissel brought up was moving the Ossian rural waste collection site to the county’s landfill, which would increase rural waste users’ commute by 5 miles one way. The trade-off, Schissel said, would be that the landfill will be open to rural waste customers from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every weekday — whereas the Ossian rural waste collection site is currently only open on Tuesdays.
The Schissel said the county could also distribute rear-view mirror placards to every registered rural waste collection site user, which they can present either at their collection site or the landfill as proof they are permitted to use the collection facilities.
The collection site schedule might also change.
Full article available in the September 26 Decorah Leader.
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