Recycling switch to Rumpke underway

FINDLAY — Hancock County's transition in contracting with Rumpke Waste & Recycling to replace Litter Landing for the county's recycling operation has led to confusion among local residents. People have reported instances in which there have been no recycling containers in locations which typically have had them. Others have expressed concerns about unclear signage at recycling locations, confusion about Litter Landing's hours, and drop-off points being a "mess" with materials left on the ground. County Commissioner Timothy Bechtol asked residents to be patient. People will like the new system once everything is in place, he said. Among the benefits: People won't have to segregate recyclables. They can drop them all into the same container. "It's that transition period right now where we're going to get caught in having spots without a bin because they pulled the old bin before they got the new bins out there," he said. "If everybody can just hold tight, it's going to be better. "We're in a transition period now of removing the large, blue, 35-yard container recycling bins that say Litter Landing and Hancock County Solid Waste Management District on them," Bechtol said. "Those are being removed and not to be used any more. Where they still exist they can still be collecting materials and we will be recycling those materials. But as soon as those are gone, Rumpke's been given the go-ahead to put their green bins, which are smaller." Because the green bins are smaller, there will be more of them at each of the recycling drop-off locations, including Litter Landing. He said the Rumpke bins are more clearly marked than the old blue containers. "What's nice about the Rumpke bins is there's a very plainly marked graphical with pictures of what to recycle in those bins and what they'll take," Bechtol said. Regarding people dumping material outside bins, Bechtol said officials have been doing their best to stop it. "There are still some people that are still bound and determined to just drop stuff off on the ground. I don't know how much education and encouragement we can do to prevent that," he said. "We wish they wouldn't do that and be more responsible." Litter Landing's hours, according to its Facebook page, are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. At some point, its hours will be reduced, but it will remain as a drop-off location, Bechtol said. "Litter Landing's operations will be changed in the coming days and weeks. They will be shutting down their doors and more exclusively using the bin locations," he said. "We're in the process of trying to clean up the Litter Landing site and remove all of the stored material that they have been stockpiling." Bechtol encouraged residents to hang in there, whether they use Litter Landing or a remote drop-off location. "We're excited about the transition. There will be a little bit of catch up here to get Rumpke's bins in all of the locations where we're pulling the blue containers out of," he said. "I think everything that used to have a remote site around the county will get Rumpke bins in its place, coming up."