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A new mobile application will allow Vigo County residents to schedule pickup of old items such as couches at the touch of an electronic button or find dates and times for township cleanups, e-recycling and paper shredding days.

It is available for both Apple and Android devices and can be found under “Vigo County Recycles.”

“People can also report littering or dumping, as well as report problems with trash pickup,” said Karrum Nasser, executive director of the Vigo County Solid Waste District.

It will connect a user to Terre Haute’s 311 reporting system or to the county depending on address.

“You can even download a photo to send” showing what item is needed for pickup in the city or to show a problem, like dumping, Nasser said.

County residents will be directed to township cleanup days where such items can be disposed.

“If you report illegal dumping, it will provide a number to call for the city or the county,” he said.

If a resident wants to get rid of clothing, “it shows locations to donate such as Goodwill or the Light House Mission. It doesn’t just automatically tell you to throw stuff away, but gives other options, such as Habitat for Humanity for furniture,” Nasser said.

Nasser said the app now is a “beta testing” period for the next three months to work out any issues, such as incorrect spelling or access to features on the application. Additionally, a new solid waste district website will also go online on Feb. 1, he said.

In a report to the Vigo County Solid Waste Management District Board on Thursday, Nasser said the solid waste district’s site, at 3230 E. Haythorne Ave., had 30,000 visitors in 2021.

“We have recycled more than 286 tons in 2021, compared to 103 tons in 2020,” Nasser told the board. “We added more dumpster space in West Terre Haute and are averaging [recycling] 7 tons a month at that location.”

Additionally, the district conducted more than 35 e-waste events in 2021, preventing more than 50 tons of electronics from going into a landfill. In 2020, six e-waste events were staged.

“We held 14 township cleanups in 2021, compared to three in 2020, collecting over 129 tons during the cleanups and with the help of an IDEM [Indiana Department of Environmental Management] grant, we were able to shred and recycle over 12 tons of sensitive documents,” Nasser said.

Nasser said the district plans to increase its e-waste to two days per week and implement evening hours.

“That will most likely be on Tuesday and Wednesday since those are the days people are accustomed to for shredding and e-waste now, with hours going until 6:30 p.m.,” Nasser said. He told the board he hopes to stage at least two township cleanup events in each of the county’s 12 townships this year, but is still working on events for Sugar Creek and Honey Creek townships.
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