Reading the article “Do you know when your trash will be picked up?” renewed my frustration and brought back bad memories of the town’s implementation of curbside pick-up.
Back about a dozen or so years ago, the town proposed going to curbside pick-up. There was overwhelming opposition from residents, especially seniors, the Council on Aging and the League of Women Voters. In fact, there was so much opposition at various meetings and public forums that the town cut the public opinion schedule short and fast-tracked a vote for their curbside pick-up with single-stream recycling plan. It was an utter failure.
So few residents signed up for the curbside pick-up that the town did everything they could to coerce participation. They closed two transfer stations, leaving only Beaver Dam Road, where they also reduced the hours of operation. And two years into the program, when curbside fees were increased 18 percent, transfer station fees were increased 80 percent. Nevertheless, only about half the households in town went with curbside pick-up. Single-stream recycling was a failure – the service got too expensive, and the town scrapped curbside leaving us where we are today; residents frustrated with only one transfer station and a multitude of expensive private haulers.
The town never listened to residents’ concerns or potential problems with curbside pick-up. They implemented the program because it was what they wanted, not what the residents wanted. We were far better off with the transfer stations and source separated recycling. Which is why the town should now open another transfer station in the northern end of town for the convenience of residents and reduce the need for private haulers.
A related issue is yard waste, brush, and stumps. The town only collects yard waste two weekends a year. It’s not enough. As a result, yard waste, brush, and stumps are getting dumped out along dirt roads and in the woods or hidden in brown bags in the grass pile at Beaver Dam transfer station. The problem there is so bad that a sign was posted [reading] “grass and leaves only.” The town could help themselves and the residents if yard waste collection was done, say, one weekend a month.
– Michael Sullivan