DECATUR - The Macon County Board approved a contract with a Springfield-based company Thursday to provide the service of electronic and computer equipment recycling.

The board voted 17-0 to approve the resolution, which would enable county residents to recycle surplus equipment, beginning this fall.

Board members Tim Dudley, D-Decatur; Bill Oliver, D-Decatur; Bryan Smith, D-Decatur; and Melverta Wilkins, D-Decatur, were absent.

Brian Dickerson, chief operating officer of BLH Computers Inc., said his company has started looking at properties and has begun hiring workers to set up its Decatur recycling operation and would likely be open for business in October or early November.

BLH will allow residents to recycle old computers, printers, copiers, televisions and more.

"Basically, anything you plug in that doesn't go in the kitchen, we can recycle," Dickerson said.

In other business, the board approved a change to the county's siting ordinance for pollution control facilities that allows pollution control facilities such as landfills the option to file paperwork for expansion electronically rather than just in hard copy form.

The change was sought for increased convenience, said Jay Dunn, D-Decatur, chairman of the Environmental, Education, Health and Welfare Committee.

The board currently is negotiating a new host agreement and siting ordinance for the expansion of Veolia ES Valley View Landfill, 1363 Bear Road.

Dunn withdrew a separate resolution seeking approval for the board to enter into a contract with Intelliwaste Inc. to help the county develop a new host fee for the landfill.

Dunn said that contract is not necessary at this time because negotiations with the landfill are further along, and he hoped to present a new host fee agreement on the landfill for board consideration as soon as his committee meets next week.

The board also recognized Assistant State's Attorney Ken Boles, who is retiring Sept. 30 after working for the county since 1984.

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