SHOALS — Martin County has been taking in the trash of other counties and making a profit.

During Tuesday’s Martin County Commissioners meeting, Laura Albertson of the Martin County Solid Waste Management District said for every dollar the district’s recycling center takes in, they make $5 in return.

“Our program has been set up well. For instance, I have funding now that will cover next year’s expenses,” Albertson said. “So we don’t have to go into borrowing money.”

Albertson was at the meeting to present the district’s 2009 budget for review. She talked about the services the recycling center is presently doing, including collecting recycables from Orange, Dubois, Monroe, Pike and parts of Daviess counties and from NSWC Crane.

“Presently, we are selling about 259 tons a month of material,” Albertson said. “Basically, we are a regional facility in that we serve other counties around us.”

The center also collects household hazardous waste, electronics and appliances. Albertson said the center recently secured a contract with the Department of the Navy at Crane for document shredding, along with shredding for several law offices, Hoosier Uplands and welfare offices.

“We are just very proud of it,” Albertson said. “Our new equipment will do 4,000 pounds an hour. It takes us longer to get the bale out than it does to get it into the machine for shredding.”

Tuesday, the center hosted a recycling market conference. Albertson said 70 attended the conference, mostly those representing groups outside the area.

“There is funding available in the state of Indiana for zero-interest loans up to $1 million and grants with a 25 percent match (in funds),” Albertson said of the conference.

In other business

JAIL WATER

A malfunctioned water softener at the jail led commissioners to purchase a new water softener from Kinetico for $8,200.

Sheriff Tony Dant said the water softener quit two weeks ago. He received four quotes for a new softener. The non-electric Kinetico softener was the second-lowest quote.

INTERLOCAL

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