By MaryHelen Swanson

In order to encourage recycling and provide a low-cost way to do it, Chisago County offers subsidies to area recycling facilities by annual contract.

On Dec. 19, the county commissioner renewed these contracts for electronic recycling, tire and appliance recycling, and mattress recycling.

A subsidy to one of the companies assures a lower fee for residents of Chisago County.

The commissioners also approved contracts with area garbage haulers for operating recycling programs for glass, tin, paper and more. Their payment is to be used to collect these items and properly process them.

The hauler subsidies are paid for through the waste management fee each resident pays which can be seen on their on their tax statement.

Originally, the waste management fee was a one-time fee but has continued, being changed from time to time in the amount.

Currently it is $15.

Lisa Thibodeau, acting recycling director for the county, asked for and received a reduction in that fee for 2008.

She noted that the balance in the solid waste fund for 2007 is $1,057,831.80.

The fee had been dropped from $20 to $15 for 2007. For 2008 the fee will be $10.

Besides the haulers' subsidies, the fund is used for education and other solid waste programs in the county.

Business involved in the recycling program contract include: Croix Valley Pick-Up, Chisago City; Chisago Lakes Sanitation, Chisago City; East Central Sanitation, Rush City; SRC, Inc., Wyoming; Terry's Disposal, Harris.

The haulers are paid on a monthly basis at the following rates: $100/ton for plastic bottles, $20/ton for the first 20 tons of cardboard and $40/ton for newspapers, steel cans, cloth, glass bottles, and office paper.

The goal of the recycling subsidy is to achieve a recycling rate in Chisago County of 35 percent.