About The District

Mission

 

The mission of the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District is to promote and contribute to long-term sustainability and a healthier environment by reducing the amount of waste going to final disposal. We recognize that waste reduction plays an important role in mitigating climate change and improving environmental quality, and we place our mission in this global and local context.

What We Do

We are the county’s local authority for information about recycling, yard waste, and household hazardous waste (HHW) services. Our work covers a wide range of tasks related to many aspects of waste management. Our daily tasks include:

  • Managing waste and recycling drop off facilities throughout the county

  • Providing household hazardous waste collection to county residents

  • Tracking and reporting waste and recycling volumes to IDEM

  • Maintaining environmental compliance for the county’s closed landfill

  • Responding to waste-related violations of Monroe county code

  • Managing the Adopt-a-Road Program for roadside litter collection

  • Creating educational materials and delivering them to local classrooms

  • Performing waste audit and recycling collection for members of our Green Business Network.

In addition to our daily tasks, we work to fulfill our mission of reducing waste going to final disposal (landfill or incineration) though a variety of goals and objectives defined in our 2021 5-year management plan.

Why We Exist

In 1990, the Indiana General Assembly passed Public Law 10-1990. This legislation made sweeping changes in existing state solid waste law, including creating the solid waste management districts (SWMD). Each of Indiana’s 92 counties (except for Marion) was to have a district or be part of a multi-county one. The districts had a number of responsibilities. For example, they were to develop solid waste management plans, with guidance from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM). IDEM was to provide policy guidance on source reduction and alternatives to dependence on final disposal facilities.

Source: Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM)
https://www.in.gov/idem/recycle/solid-waste-management-districts/

Official responsibilities and requirements of SWMD's have changed over time and the latest definitions can be found in Indiana Code ’IC 13-21-3’ titled ”Chapter 3. Solid Waste Management Districts.”