Posted 1/31/01 Solid waste director says get act together by 2004 or it may all be over By MaryHelen Swanson East Central Solid Waste (ECSWC) Director Allen Bonini had a talk with the county commissioners Jan. 24. He told them the waste commission needs to prove its worth by the year 2004 or there may not be any reason to maintain the five-county joint powers garbage-handling organization. His belief is that the ìbig boysî in garbage hauling, such as BFI and Waste Management, will be perched and ready to move in should the solid waste commission dissolve. He told the commissioners the ECSWC has control right now of 95 percent of the areaís garbage with contracted hauler agreements. That, he noted, was the good news that came out of the bad news last year when the commissionís attempt to establish a new waste fee system failed. To avoid the five-county commissionís failure all together, Bonini feels it is imperative to do strategic planning even if the outcome is that the five counties donít want to do any more than pay off the debt and get out of the business. He also said, in the meantime, the waste commission must look at new ways of doing things, such as waste separation at the transfer stations and using rusting machinery at the Mora facility for purposes other than originally intended. Many of those pieces of equipment, he reminded the board, were purchased and paid for when MicroLife was coming in. Many, if not all, have never been used and are only deteriorating in the empty, unused buildings. He said it may even be necessary to educate the state that the old ways of handling waste donít fit into todayís marketplace. To Boniniís comments about recovering recyclables, Commissioner Bob Vande Kamp asked how they could justify recovery when there is no market? Youíve got to find the right market, Bonini said. Back to the strategic planning, Bonini believes it will need to involve a diverse group of people, including haulers, business people, government officials, etc. In all sincerity, Bonini believes the five counties - Pine, Chisago, Isanti, Mille Lacs and Kanabec - have just one more chance to ìget it right.î ìIt will go away if we havenít got it together by 2004,î he concluded. Regarding the strategic planning, Commissioner Tom Delaney said it was long overdue. ©Post Review