The Goessel City Council heard Rollin Schmidt, director of the Marion County transfer station, say at its March 16 meeting that his goal is to minimize the amount of solid waste sent to a landfill.
?I was shocked,? Schmidt said, ?by how much trash is going to the landfill.?
To help reduce the flow, he plans to offer a recycling program for every city in the county. But he will not be involved in the towns that have their own recycling program already in place.
?I?m not trying to get in the way of any programs,? he said.
?Harvey County has been gracious enough to let us use their recycle trailer,? Schmidt said.
He plans to take it to every town in the county that does not have its own recycling program. Goessel is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. the third Saturday of each month in the city building parking lot.
?I think it?s a great idea,? Mayor Peggy Jay said, then asked, ?Will this be manned??
Schmidt said it will be.
He said he worked ?very hard? to have no cost to the tax payers. Schmidt said the service is for everyone in the surrounding community, not just for city residents.
The council approved Schmidt?s recycling proposal.
The following items may be recycled: aluminum and steel cans, plastic beverage containers, glass bottles, cardboard and paper. All items, except for cardboard and paper, must be washed and clean.
Only plastic containers that have a triangle on the bottom with a number 1 or a 2 can be recycled. Caps, lids and rings need to be removed, but labels do not need to be removed.
Phone books will be accepted, as well as newspaper, cardboard, mixed paper and magazines.
Glass bottles will be accepted, but not other kinds of glass. For example, bake ware, ceramic, crystal, light bulbs, window glass, windshields, glass doors and mirrors are not accepted. Glass should not be broken.
Other items that cannot be accepted for recycling include aerosol cans, batteries, oil cans, paint cans, hazardous chemicals, Styrofoam and metal caps.
Schmidt said the county?s recycling facility is also available to all county residents. It is a free service and is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays. He hopes to expand to six days a week in the future. The facility is located at 320 W. Santa Fe in Marion.
Other business
In other business, the council:
n Police Chief Joe Base introduced Junior Guerrero for approval as a volunteer reserve officer. He would need training and certification. Part-time officer Tim Boese, who also works for the Harvey County Sheriff?s Department, is attending 14 weeks of law enforcement training.
n reminds the public that wheelchairs, whether or not they are motorized, are not allowed on streets. City personnel had seen someone riding a wheelchair in the middle of Main Street. The council also expressed safety concerns for children riding four-wheelers.
n approved a contract proposal from Franklin Mcguire to maintain the cemetery across the street from the city building. He will mow the grass an average of three times a month, trim, and remove branches.
n heard public works director Karen Dickerson report plans to redo the ?Welcome to Goessel? sign along Kansas High?way 15. ?We?re going to peel the old letters off,? she said. The Short Sign Guy business will paint the sign and attach new letters.
n heard Dickerson discuss the condition of city streets. ?I?ve graded once a week the last four weeks,? she said. ?It?s dry.? She said there?s nothing she can do about the ?rumble strips.?
Dickerson said she is questioned about the street on the west side of the high school, but the school, not the city, is responsible for that street.
