PARKERSBURG - Wood County Solid Waste Authority director/compliance officer John Reed showed off the authority's new website and filed a report on compliance concerns.
During a meeting Monday with county commissioners, Reed showed off the authority's first website, which is accessible at www.woodcountyrecycles.com.
"The website is also now accessible through a link that was just added to the county webpage. The website was designed to be informational and educational. If you enter your ZIP code, it will provide you with recycling locations for all types of items from batteries and anitfreeze to oil and tires. The SWA website will constantly be updated and the Citizens in Action students group will have a video online showing people how to prepare old paint for disposal," Reed said.
Article Photos
Photo by Pamela Brust
John Reed, director of the Wood County Solid Waste Authority and the county compliance officer, showed off the authority’s new website for county commissioners Monday.
The website also contains landfill facts.
"We were being inundated with phones calls on a daily basis about where to go to recycle items, so this will help everybody find out where to go and there is an email link if you need additional information," Reed said.
The theme for the new website and advertising campaign, which may launch in January, is "Recycling is in your Hands."
Fact Box
Website Info
The Wood County SWA's new website is online at www.woodcountyrecycles.com or click on the link on Wood County's website at woodcountywv.com.
Stonewall Marketing developed, implemented and will maintain the website and developed the ad campaign that will be used as the theme at a cost of $13,000. Funding for the SWA's budget comes from landfill tipping fees paid by haulers. The funds, which are distributed to the authorities, are to be used for education and recycling activities and programs.
In other business Monday, Reed filed a compliance report for January through November, which included 18 open dumps, 19 junked vehicles, 24 illegal salvage yards, 11 tire dumps, 28 households with no trash service, 54 reports of dilapidated houses. Under floodplain compliance, there were 63 permits issued and 21 required field inspections were completed.
Reed said some of the dumps have been cleared.
"Sometimes we were able, by going through the trash, to find some identification. When we did, we contacted the offender and they cleaned it up," Reed said.
West Virginia law allows two unlicensed vehicles on property, but three or more is a violation of the county salvage yard ordinance.
"We have done really well with clearing out the tires. My first year here we took out 40,000 tires that were collected. This year it's under 10,000," Reed said.
Building in the floodplain requires property owners meet elevation and other special requirements. Reed said most of the floodplain building permits issued were for additions. Out of the permits, only a few were new structures that required follow-up visits to assure compliance," Reed noted.
"There are four dilapidated housing complaint cases in the Murphytown we are still working with the property owners on getting them cleaned up," Reed said.
"Usually it's difficult to get the properties cleaned in the winter, so it might be helpful to take the ongoing cases and contact them about planning for the spring, with followups in May. Using the carrot-stick approach, hopefully we can get this done," said commission President Blair Couch.
The countywide free cleanup drop-off is scheduled for the end of April.
"If we can coordinate the cleanups with that, they can collect everything and be able to dispose of it free of charge in April," Couch said.
