Trash debate heats up in Milltown again

Number of summer collections still at issue among officials, residents

By Daniel Walsh

M

illtown officials and residents discussed summer trash pickup schedules during a public works meeting on Thursday but did not definitely decide if the service would be either once or twice weekly.

Several residents attended the meeting, during which public works supervisors Craig Lonieski and Rich Williams advocated the continuance of the once-a-week collection schedule, which the borough implemented last summer on a trial basis.

Lonieski said that the financial logistics of twice-weekly pickup are not economical for the borough.

"The need for twice-a-week garbage collection makes no sense to me whatsoever," Lonieski said. "There’s probably a 2-ton a day decrease in (garbage) tonnage during those months."

The statistical decrease in the amount of garbage picked up is something Lonieski repeatedly attributed as a primary reason for cutting trash collections in half. He said that the borough collects 20 percent less trash during the summer months. When the public works department picks up trash twice a week, truckloads are typically only about one-third full, he added.

"You have 2 tons per day less trash during July and August because of vacations," Lonieski said. "With five routes for trash pickup, one truck will pick up seven to 12 tons per day."

In addition, due to the increase in recycling, less trash is being thrown out by residents.

Lonieski also said that if the schedule is not halved, public works employees will not have the available time to get to other public works efforts. He felt that last year’s trial effort was a success and should be continued for another year.

"Last year, we did once a week. I didn’t hear many complaints," Lonieski said.

While Lonieski may not have heard the complaints, members of the borough’s governing body did.

Several years ago, the borough cut trash collection to once a week during most of the year but maintained the twice weekly schedule during the summer months. Last year, the borough saved more than $50,000 by reducing the summer trash collection, but encountered strong criticism from residents prior to the change.

Last fall, members of the council met with a number of residents to discuss the future possibility of going to year-round weekly trash collection. When residents again expressed their opposition to the idea, the present members of the council each stated their intention to find alternative solutions to save money in the public works department.

Councilmen Gary Walters, Mike Skarzynski, and Kevin Bosworth, who chairs the Public Works Committee, attended the meeting, along with Borough Clerk Mike Januszka and Business Administrator Rich Rydstrom. Of this group, only Bosworth was in attendance at last fall’s meeting on the subject, while several of the same residents were at both meetings.

"The garbage is an essential thing, especially during the summer," said Hank Ruehl, who attended that last meeting. "I thought after the last meeting we were going back to (once weekly collection). What’s the deal with this? It smells during the summer."

"Our taxes keep going up, but our services are going down," said another resident, Gary Orvetz.

Rydstrom and Jim Knox, an Albert Avenue resident, offered two alternative suggestions that the council may consider.

The public works employees could leave the garbage truck open at borough hall during the day so that residents can simply throw their trash in the back of the truck if they have too much of it.

A second alternative is to hire an additional public works employee for the summer to collect trash in a pickup truck upon request from residents with an overabundance of trash.

Lonieski noted logistical problems with each solution, and Bosworth said that members of the council would discuss them further to see if they could be implemented.