Twice-A-Week Trash Pickup May Be Back In April
Under new plan, twice-weekly pickups would be six months on, six months off
Residents may see twice weekly trash pickups resume this April. Last March, the Mahwah town council reduced twice-a-week pickup from year-round, to only June through September, and once-a-week pickups the other eight months of the year.
At last week’s meeting, the council tentatively approved budgeting that would allow for twice weekly pickup to begin in April and run through September. If that change is finalized at a future meeting, once-a-week pickups would be reduced from eight months of the year, to six.
According to township administrator Brian Campion, the 2012 proposed township budget suggests switching from Suburban Disposal, Inc. to a different waste removal company, which would save the township about $20,000. The mayor and administrator proposed using the savings to pay for the additional two months of more frequent pickup. The cost to the township for the increase would be negligible, Campion said. The overall cost for trash removal would go from about $775K last year to about $776K this year, he said.
Last year, the council said reducing the frequency of pickups saved the township $60,000 over what it spent on waste removal in 2010.
Councilman Harry Williams questioned the need for the change, citing that overall tonnage collected in Mahwah is down from previous years. “If we are collecting less garbage, it seems contradictory to increase the number of pickups.”
According to Mayor Bill Laforet, the additional pickups were proposed as a response to public demand. “It’s not about the volume of trash, it’s about the smell during the so-called ‘stinky months,’” he said. Campion added that the mayor’s office received complaints from residents last year that piling up trash was starting to smell, especially during warmer weather in April and May.
Though the council tentatively Ok’ed the increase in trash pickups, Campion said the new waste management contract will need to be formally approved by the council at a future meeting before the change takes place.
Laforet said the extra two months of twice-weekly pickups are “very important for the people of Mahwah.”
ref
6:36 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Lets stop thinking about next year Mr. Mayor and save the money this year, no big deal with once a week pick up.
jeanne
7:47 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Please bring back the twice a week..
LKR
8:06 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
We are a family of 4 and through recycling only generate one can of trash per week.
People should be more diligent about recycling and this would further reduce our solid waste disposal. I see all too frequently recyclable garage at curbside on trash day. I can only imagine what I don't see.
Charlie
8:44 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
One day a week is fine for trash pick up. Save the money Mahwah is broke it's a no brainer. It’s amazing to me, our leaders hard at work. Can’t decide on weather or not to pick up trash 1 or 2 times a week, but will put a mall in that will change Mahwah forever in a heart beat. Yeah, our tax $$$$ hard a work. Somehow I believe we could have a trained monkey do a better job of running Mahwah.
JP
8:29 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
We're not broke. Did you not read the blog on the millions in surplus we have on hand. We go out and save 60K at the residents inconvenience and yet spend a quarter mil on a staircase for the library, or a few hundred thousand on fixing up town square (which is nice, but come on? All that money for that?) It's all about pet projects or priorities. Want more tax revenue, invite more businesses into town or make it more attractive to new residents and developers to build here to increase revenue.
jeffrey simons
11:42 am on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I also live in Florida where in our town the pick ujp garbage twice a week. But the town of 85,000 people safved a lot of money by having a comany pick up the garbage with a truck which does not require anyone but one driver. theefore reducing the costs by over 50 % The company/ town provided every resident with a new garbage can .up to 95 Gallons in size for no cost. The truck is able to pick up the cans and empty them totally with no mess or phiscla labor or risk of injury to the workier. The streets are clener, no spilling and the spell is reduced to zero both in your home and on the stree.
T-Bird 148
2:03 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I love how anti-"mall" people can use any topic or subject to bring up the proposed Crossroads development!
KR
3:37 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
$60,000.00 per year? All this controversy in a town this size for $5,000.00 a month?
I understand completely that modest cuts here and there in total can be sizable but......
JP
8:22 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
I cannot believe they cut twice a week pickup for our large town to only save $60K Are you kidding me? Really?!? Spend our tax money on we the people who pay the tax money and don't mess with our garbage pickups. I'm tired of storing garbage in my garage.
JP
8:28 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
... and bring back the brown bag twig pickups too!
JP
8:34 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
oh, and while I'm ranting, how about actually picking up recycling once a week also. I now generate so much more recycling (plastic, cardboard, etc) during the week (as much as garbage) that it just lays around my garage for two weeks at a time.
Charlie
10:54 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012
If the town has so much money, then why does Mahwah need a mall? Once a week for garbage is fine, if you have that much recycling bring it to the town, this is what I do when I have excess, if you are not sure where to bring it, let me know and I will tell you where to bring your recycling. If you have that much garbage, get another can, I have 2 cans on weeks I have more garbage, it is not an inconvenience at all, and the town is using less fuel in the process. Save the towns money, this is why we need a mall right, to give Mahwah money. On this matter of once a week garbage pick up I hope the Mayor shows some stones and leadership and proves he is about running the town like a business and saves Mahwah money as he stated when he was running for Mayor. He is only in for a year, the town is watching very closely.
JP
12:55 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
What does the town having money have to do with a private property transaction? We're drifting off the trash subject.
And you can forget about the mayor and once a week garbage, Bill's as ticked off as I am about it, or so he says.
Andy Schmidt
9:21 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
>> What does the town having money have to do with a private property transaction <<
a) Because the justification for changing the zoning was, that the town would earn hundreds of thousands in various fees for permits and services, and
b) that at some point the mall would produce property taxes that would NOT add money for the town, but slightly reduce the share of the annual budget that the residents have to pay).
c) You can hardly call it a "private" property transaction if THE key part of the "transaction" was the town negotiating a deal with the developer to change the zoning to suit. It was a transaction conducted by the council and mayor.
JP
11:22 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
What does that have to do with trash pickup? You in the right thread?
ref
6:33 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Yes and the Mayor also said not tax increase in 2012
Charlie
7:34 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
JP, let me ask you, in your mind what was the reason for having trash picked up from twice a week to once a week to begin with if not to save money?
Give me a break about what Bill wants or doesn't want, it is what is best for Mahwah. The whole country is broke, Mahwah is broke. I say save the money and use it where the town needs it. Just drive up Ridge Road and see how bad that needs to be redone. Leave garbage pick up for once a week, fix the roads.
I agree with ref, lets see if the taxes go up this year. If the taxes do go up what are the chances of Bill being mayor for a second time.
I don't even see what the big deal about 1 day a week trash pick up is anyway. If you have that much garbage get 2 cans, .
JP
11:16 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Of course it was for the money Charlie, but are you trying to claim that $60K was worth this very large town only having one pickup per week? It doesn't reduce the amount of garbage, it just attempts to compress the amount of time needed to pick up that garbage. What's the pickup men's time like now? Do they need overtime to get that one day a week pickups in? Do they need to make more runs to the dump because their trucks fill up faster now? Where are the actual savings made? Where is my tax money going now that it isn't being used to pay for garbage pickup because my taxes didn't go down any, did yours? Did it go into surplus?
KR
9:09 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
The town is far from broke.
Andy Schmidt
9:28 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Can't have it both ways. I wonder how many people who are now complaining about garbage pickup were the same people who are arguing that spending an extra $10.00/month on property tax instead of Starbucks, iTunes, Cable TV, McDonalds or the movies is completely unreasonable. Now those very people are falling off the chair when as a result the level of various services are reduced?
I rather pay a few dollars more a month to cover annual cost increases so that my town can continue desirable services and maintain their roads and properties -- if you don't then don't whine about the cuts.
JP
11:07 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
And here's one spot I agree with you Andy. I have no problem raising taxes as long as it's used for personal services for the tax payers.
Kevin
10:10 am on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wow Mr. Levine I have heard a lot of bad ideas here but this takes the cake. "Privatize our police force". We are going to get a private ambulance and now you want security officers with yellow lights patrolling our streets. Lets hope you, your friends and your family never need that service because you will be the first one at a council meeting complaining about the services. As far as officers at continental or campgaw hanging out (nice language by the way) you are out of line. Did you ever think they are completing a report, speaking to a Sgt or another officer about a detail they were just on, eating their lunch, running a directed activity, checking on an issue there and maybe just maybe taking a couple minutes because it has been a busy shift. Did not think so. Silence is golden try it you will not look so foolish next time you open your mouth. By the way if they were really hiding like you claim you would not find them.
Hank
1:09 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
I am just going to throw my trash in the dumpsters behind the new mall.
JP
11:08 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
HA!
KR
9:38 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
Lol. Ok Charlie.
Charlie
11:59 pm on Thursday, March 1, 2012
JP, to tell you the truth, my taxes did go down, not by alot, but it did go down, it is better then going up. I personally have no problem with one trash pick up a week. If I get more trash then normal I use 2 cans not a big deal, Alot of towns only have 1 trash pick up a week.
JP
12:06 am on Friday, March 2, 2012
Well, to also tell you the truth, if it came down to no volunteer ambulance corp or two garbage pickups, I say keep the volunteer ambulance for sure. It's much more important.
hsr
12:04 pm on Sunday, March 11, 2012
I do the same as Charlie and also Hank has a good alternative. I really don't have a
problem with once a week pickup cause I recycle almost all. Only in summer the
problem with oder is it not good to have once a week pickup. Then again 60K isn't
a lot.
Frianne
2:49 pm on Sunday, April 1, 2012
I hate the once a week pick up. I think that we should go back to 2 times a week. We really need to have our trash picked up 2 times a week. My trash over flows with only once a week pick up.