Portage council tweaks trash ordinance

PORTAGE | The City Council approved an amendment to the new trash ordinance that could save some people money.

Trash takes high-tech, circuitous recycling route at facility

CHICAGO | A labyrinth of conveyor belts, magnets and people move and sort about 600 tons of old plastic bottles, cans and used paper each day.

Messes pile up as Gary faces service backlog

Sam Anthony, of Gary, looks for scrap metal amid discarded furniture and other refuse outside of 1705 McKinley St. in Gary.

Messes pile up as Gary faces service backlog

A pile of furniture and garbage sit outside of 1705 McKinley St. in Gary several weeks ago.

Messes pile up as Gary faces service backlog

The home of Ella Joiner on McKinely St. in Gary several weeks ago. She said she tries to keep her house neat, which is why when refuse and garbage from two houses across the street were piled out front directly across from her, she called anyone she could think of to have the city remove the junk.

Messes pile up as Gary faces service backlog

Sam Anthony, of Gary, looks for scrap metal in a pile of discarded furniture and other refuse outside of 1705 McKinley St. in Gary It took the city nearly two months to clean up the front yards of two houses across the street from a Gary woman.

Messes pile up as Gary faces service backlog

A view of 1701 and 1705 McKinley St. from the porch of Ella Joiner's home in Gary several weeks ago.

Portage seeks bids for new street/sanitation equipment

PORTAGE | The streets and sanitation department was given approval by the Board of Works this week to seek bids on five new pieces of equipment.

Portage council approves new trash ordinance

PORTAGE | The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a new trash collection ordinance.

Tower Park cleanup

Students from Porter County Career Center walk around Tower Park in Valparaiso looking for trash Tuesday as part of a community service exercise.

Tower Park cleanup

Porter County Career Center students Corey Beatty, left, of Boone Grove, and John Luczak, of Kouts, pick up trash Tuesday from Tower Park in Valparaiso as part of a community service exercise for the school.

Tower Park cleanup

Porter County Career Center teacher Judy Commers picks up trash with her students Tuesday at neighboring Tower Park in Valparaiso. The students were participating in a community service exercise.

Tower Park cleanup

Porter County Career Center student Chris Panayi, of Valparaiso throws away trash picked up from Tower Park in Valparaiso with fellow student John Luczak, of Kouts. The students were participating in a community service exercise Tuesday with other students from the Porter County Career Center.

Tower Park cleanup

Porter County Career Center student Brian Smrekar, of Washington Township, center, helps collect trash at Tower Park in Valparaiso with Career Center Principal Jon Groth, left, and teacher Judy Commers during a community service exercise with other students on Tuesday.

Awarding of trash deal delayed

PORTAGE | Awarding a contract that would have moved the city closer to an automated trash collection system was delayed Wednesday.

Valpo to pick up trash earlier on Thursday due to heat

VALPARAISO | With triple-digit temperatures and/or heat indexes expected Thursday, the city is asking residents to help rubbish crews by putting their trash and recycling out at least an hour earlier than normal

Mobile home trash issue remains unresolved

PORTAGE | The City Council Ordinance Committee again tried to tackle the issue of what to do with trash pick up in Portage mobile home parks.

Don't throw out your glass bottles in my yard

I am a Hammond resident and have been for many years. A daily task of mine is to clean up crushed bottles from beer, juice and other glass bottles from my yard.

Use plasma device to turn trash into marketable product

A recent report said the Florida company (the only user of this trash converter technolgy) cannot use more than 10 percent waste trash in the process; not the 100 percent Earl Powers says.