Time for municipal garbage collection?

Waste Mgt. has not picked up since last Tuesday.  --- yeah, I know, switch to the I.R.

BUT

Several local municipalities have garbage picked up by town employees... Millburn,... Summit...

Maybe it's time to investigate if this would result in better or cheaper garbage service (or both). A "packer" truck would run closer to $175k and we would need two or three of these.

Maybe contact the business administrators of municipalities that run their own sanitation service and get a handle on cost to see if this is a possibility. 
 

Under the present system households pay based on the amount of trash they produce and the frequency with which they want their trash picked up.  This is good for the environment.  The town is spared having to hire additional staff, purchase expensive equipment, and build administrative support.  It seems unlikely that the town will move in the direction of providing  this service in-house when it has been outsourced for so long.  WI is a viable alternative if you are displeased with the service you are receiving from WM.  The town has been reluctant to step in with all of the other issues with WM claiming that the contract is between WM and the individual property owner.  However, the town does permit WM to operate in town and that should give them some clout in stepping in to resolve the myriad of issues with WM over the years. Multiple residents bringing this issue to the attention on the TC might help.  

joan_crystal said:

Under the present system households pay based on the amount of trash they produce and the frequency with which they want their trash picked up.  This is good for the environment.  The town is spared having to hire additional staff, purchase expensive equipment, and build administrative support.  It seems unlikely that the town will move in the direction of providing  this service in-house when it has been outsourced for so long.  WI is a viable alternative if you are displeased with the service you are receiving from WM.  The town has been reluctant to step in with all of the other issues with WM claiming that the contract is between WM and the individual property owner.  However, the town does permit WM to operate in town and that should give them some clout in stepping in to resolve the myriad of issues with WM over the years. Multiple residents bringing this issue to the attention on the TC might help.  

Costs of staff and equipment are involved, whether the town or the individual pays for it. In one case, supervisory and executive pay and shareholder dividends are included as part of the charge to homeowners. 

Also, what trash is anyone keeping in their basement so as not to out it in the collection receptacle?

If trash collection were municipal and paid by taxes every non profit would get free trash collection.  The workers would be unionized, which I would love, but it would be much more expensive.  One alternative, though, would be to contact a large municipality like Newark and see if they wanted to bid on taking over our collection.

The corruption in NJ waste and recycling collection is rampant. I'm not sure we want to bring that cesspool under the umbrella of our municipal government.

yahooyahoo said:

The corruption in NJ waste and recycling collection is rampant. I'm not sure we want to bring that cesspool under the umbrella of our municipal government.

I think this attitude comes from watching too many episodes of Sopranos. 

N.J. and N.Y. prosecutors went after sanitation corruption in the 70's and 80's. There were prosecutions and the establishment of N.J.D.E.P. resulted in a licensing procedure for sanitation business. I helped my employer complete his application for a D.E.P. license, followed by fingerprints and a criminal records investigation, which he paid for.

When he sold the business, the buyer is from Long Island. They had to go through the same procedure. 

When was the last time your Star-Ledger morning paper had an article about a sanitation related crime.

AND --

Are you arguing that Millburn and Summit's municipal employees are connected? 

* Full disclosure: Two of our company trucks, #'s 10 and 18 were used in Soprano episodes. I even got a free breakfast, at a shoot, under the Skyway, courtesy of the producers.

Carry on.

The reality is, garbage companies will charge more money if they have to come into your backyard to pick up your trash. I agree with JJ, and we put our garbage bins out to the curb like everyone else in the state. Why are we so special? We’re paying for the special treatment. It’s no longer viable.

DanDietrich said:

If trash collection were municipal and paid by taxes every non profit would get free trash collection.  The workers would be unionized, which I would love, but it would be much more expensive.  One alternative, though, would be to contact a large municipality like Newark and see if they wanted to bid on taking over our collection.

No lawyer here, but couldn't the trash collection be a separate fee, not a tax based on property value, though it might appear on the tax bill for convenience?  This is how it was handled in LA way back in the day for homeowners, but i don't know how nonprofits were affected.  Fee/usage based, similar to municipal water or power?

Jaytee said:

The reality is, garbage companies will charge more money if they have to come into your backyard to pick up your trash. I agree with JJ, and we put our garbage bins out to the curb like everyone else in the state. Why are we so special? We’re paying for the special treatment. It’s no longer viable.

No gas handle or garbage can shall these Jersey hands touch.  Honestly I’d have no problem pulling cans in and out of my yard for a consistent pick up. WM and WI are 6 of one and a half dozen of the other, at least WI is less costly. 

I won't accuse companies of being corrupt, but I do know that they won't bid against each other.  When towns put out RFPs for sanitation contracts they don't get bids except from the companies already there.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

yahooyahoo said:

The corruption in NJ waste and recycling collection is rampant. I'm not sure we want to bring that cesspool under the umbrella of our municipal government.

I think this attitude comes from watching too many episodes of Sopranos. 

N.J. and N.Y. prosecutors went after sanitation corruption in the 70's and 80's. There were prosecutions and the establishment of N.J.D.E.P. resulted in a licensing procedure for sanitation business. I helped my employer complete his application for a D.E.P. license, followed by fingerprints and a criminal records investigation, which he paid for.

When he sold the business, the buyer is from Long Island. They had to go through the same procedure. 

When was the last time your Star-Ledger morning paper had an article about a sanitation related crime.

AND --

Are you arguing that Millburn and Summit's municipal employees are connected? 

* Full disclosure: Two of our company trucks, #'s 10 and 18 were used in Soprano episodes. I even got a free breakfast, at a shoot, under the Skyway, courtesy of the producers.

Carry on.

I didn't say mafia or organized crime.  I said corruption.  Just look at the past bidding for our recycling contracts and you will see a clear history of collusion and manipulation.

A Maplewood DPW employee was fired earlier this year for fixing bids for maintenance and building projects. You think it doesn't exist anymore?

yahooyahoo said:

I didn't say mafia or organized crime.  I said corruption.  Just look at the past bidding for our recycling contracts and you will see a clear history of collusion and manipulation.

A Maplewood DPW employee was fired earlier this year for fixing bids for maintenance and building projects. You think it doesn't exist anymore?

Bid rigging has been a problem, probably even before the reign of William Marcy Tweed.