Alternate trash solution
Taking out the trash is about to get a little more difficult for businesses in Marion County.
At last week's county commission meeting, officials announced a new payment schedule for commercial waste. It eliminates the monthly flat fee and instead charges businesses per "unit" of garbage.
Let's put it bluntly: It's going to be a big pain in the wallet for local businesses.
Take Hillsboro. Until now, local businesses have been charged a single $10.50 fee each month for trash disposal. It didn't matter how much or how little that garbage was — your Dumpster could be overflowing or not. You still paid $10.50 a month.
Those days are over.
Now, you're charged a yearly fee of $132 dollars, which amounts to $11 per month, for doling out six to 10 "units" of garbage each week. A unit equals two cubic yards of trash.
Go over 10, and you'll end up paying $99 a year for each additional unit.
Now for small businesses, this may not seem like much. A fifty-cent increase isn't too bad, is it?
But for Hillsboro's bigger businesses, this could be a nightmare.
The biggest waste-producer, according to a list drawn up by the county commission, is Tabor College. It doesn't take a genius to realize that a college with more than 400 students — the majority of them on campus — can generate a ton of waste.
Also included under that "business" classification are nursing homes without independent-living units. That means the main structures of Parkside Homes and the HCMC Long-Term Care Unit.
This could be a bad situation all around.
The assessments are being sent out this month with property tax notices. And everybody has until Dec. 1 to protest if they don't agree with the amount listed on the assessment.
Again, this is going to be difficult. But this might be the thing that pushes people into doing something that's good for the environment as well as their pocketbooks.
Recycling.
Commissioners said that they think cardboard makes up much of businesses' trash.
And if that's the case, businesses can take that stuff to the recycling center.
Here's a quote from county sanitarian David Brazil: "If we found a way to recycle, the waste would be minimal."
Now, it seems, you don't have to be a strong environmentalist to recycle. Not only will recycling be good for the environment, but if you're a business owner, it will save you money.
The "units" you take to the recycling center are units that you don't have to pay for.
In light of the increased trash rates, it's something to consider seriously.
— JENNIFER WILSON
