The Northeast Indiana Solid Waste Management District (NISWMD) was created by the general assembly in 1990 and given the task of reducing the municipal solid waste stream through resource management technologies such as waste reduction, recycling, composting and even some reuse networks. In 1992, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved the NISWMD Solid Waste Management Plan.

NISWMD is a joint solid waste district comprised of DeKalb, LaGrange, Noble and Steuben Counties. The area is 61% rural and 39% urban. A board of directors governs the NISWMD and is made up of local elected officials from each county.

NISWMD is subject to the same budgetary process, public meeting, public hearing, public bidding and accountability standards as all other governmental units in Indiana. Part of the budgetary requirements for solid waste districts is filing SB 131. The NISWMD fulfills that requirement each year. The public can view the most currently submitted SB 131 here.

 Using the budget that is primarily from the property tax base, the NISWMD strives to provide meaningful solid waste reduction services and programs to the residents it serves. Programs have ebbed and flowed with solid waste trends and the NISWMD has remained an excellent local resource for residents to divert waste.