Monroe landfill to close Sunday

The Monroe County landfill is scheduled to permanently close Sunday. Beginning July 30, trash can be taken to Hoosier Disposals' transfer site at 6660 South State Road 37, as stated on the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District Web site.\nIris Kiesling, chairperson of the board of directors at the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District, said there are many reasons why the landfill is closing. \n"We had several violations on compliance issues stemming from inspections by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management," Kiesling said. "We had very high liability insurance and there was a fire at the landfill earlier this year."\nThe landfill has been managed by the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District. Types of waste that were accepted at the landfill included municipal solid waste, construction debris, tires and Freon appliances. The landfill also provided services such as a free exchange of reusable building materials.\n"The closing of the landfill will have a significant impact on Monroe County," Kiesling said. "We have worked out an agreement with Hoosier Disposals in the amount of $750,000 to help close the landfill."\nThe landfill's closing will require trash to be taken to a different location, which could have an effect on the cost of waste disposal.\n"Once the landfill is closed, disposal rates will increase and all parties will have to pay more to dispose of their waste," Kiesling said.\nKiesling said he thinks small haulers will be hurt the most by the increased rate for garbage removal. \nThe Monroe County Solid Waste Management District works to ensure that the county's waste is handled properly. It was created in 1990 in accordance with House Enrollment Act 1240, which set state waste reduction goals and authorized localities to form districts that would work to achieve these goals. About three-fourths of its 50 employees are out in the field providing services to the community.\nThe decision to close the landfill stemmed from the growing difficulty of running it. \n"The seven members on our board of directors have voted unanimously on the decision to close," Kiesling said.