Hauler gets Mercer Co. recycling contract

HERMITAGE, Pa. -- The Mercer County Solid Waste Authority awarded a contract Friday for a private hauler to take over recycling pickups.
Tri-County of Grove City Industries was the successful bidder, offering to haul recyclables from bins for 149,760 for three years. The county had been collecting the recyclables with its own trucks at a cost of more than 200,000 a year, according to Michele Nestor, a consultant from Nestor Resources, Inc., Cranberry.
The new hauling contract will make it necessary to change over to a new type of bins that are compatible with the hauler's trucks. Because of a lack of the new bins, there will temporarily be no drop-off points at Jamestown, Hadley Township, Sandy Lake and the Shenango Valley Mall.
Dr. Fred Brenner, chairman of the Solid Waste Authority, said those drop-off sites will be reopened "as soon as we have the money available."
The county's program serves only areas which do not have mandatory curbside recycling. Local communities mandated because of their size to have curbside recycling are Sharon, Greenville, Hermitage, Grove City and Farrell.