Colfax and Elk Mound solid waste and collection sites will operate under Colfax RU
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Editor’s Note: LeAnn R. Ralph serves on the Colfax Solid Waste and Recycling Committee as the representative for the Town of Otter Creek
By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — As of January 1, the Colfax and Elk Mound solid waste and recycling collection sites will operate as part of the Colfax Responsible Unit.
The collection sites will operate much as they do now, except that instead of sorting the mandated recyclables, the items for recycling will become “single stream” and will all be placed into one container.
The Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites also will continue to accept non-mandated recyclables, such as tires, batteries, bulbs, electronics and used oil.
The Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites, after January 1, will be open on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The Colfax Solid Waste and Recycling Committee has currently set hours for the collection sites after January 1 of noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays from November 1 through April 1, and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to November 1. Saturday hours will be 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. all year.
Residents in the Village of Colfax and the Towns of Colfax, Grant, Otter Creek, Tainter and Wilson will bring their trash and recyclables to the Colfax collection site.
Residents in the Village of Elk Mound and the Towns of Elk Mound and Spring Brook will bring their trash and recyclables to the Elk Mound collection site.
Colfax Solid Waste and Recycling Committee members have agreed that if a resident from the Elk Mound area wishes to drop off trash and recycling at Colfax, or if someone from the Colfax area would like to drop off trash and recyclables at Elk Mound, this will be perfectly acceptable since all of the municipalities are part of the same RU.
The Colfax Solid Waste and Recycling Committee, which includes representatives from all of the municipalities that are intending to join the Colfax RU once it has been approved by the state Department of Natural Resources, has been working on the details and logistics of operating the Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites.
The DNR has set a deadline of October 1 for RU applications.
State law requires all municipalities to either be a Responsible Unit for recycling or to be a member of an RU.
The Colfax RU originally was intended to include the Village of Colfax and the Towns of Colfax, Grant, Otter Creek and Tainter.
At a meeting held September 17, the Village of Elk Mound and the Towns of Elk Mound and Spring Brook asked to join the Colfax RU.
At a meeting held September 22, the Town of Wilson asked to join the Colfax RU.
The municipalities in the Colfax area and in the Elk Mound area will each be responsible for purchasing the equipment from Dunn County at their respective collection sites, such as the compactors.
All residents in the Colfax RU will be issued a permit, either as a sticker or as a permit to hang from the rearview mirror, allowing them to use the Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites.
Dunn County will be closing down the Dunn County Solid Waste and Recycling program as of December 31, but until then, residents in all member municipalities can continue to use the collection sites around the county as they do now.
More information about the Colfax and Elk Mound solid waste and recycling collection sites will be highlighted in future articles in the Colfax Messenger.
Educational material and permits for using the Colfax and Elk Mound collection sites will be mailed to residents in each member municipality before January 1.