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Politics & Government

Township Reshuffles Trash Collection Times

An ordinance changing garbage pickup intervals addresses resident complaints, worker safety.

The township committee deleted one trash collection time and pushed back the other two, citing public safety as one reason during the committee meeting yesterday. 

Collections will be moved from 5 a.m. to 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. The 7 a.m. collection time was removed  with the amending of the ordinance.

The committee explained that the amended ordinance helps with the safety of municipal workers, as haulers have argued that the later pickup times endanger sanitation workers. 

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"With more traffic on the road at the later hour, the collectors and residents out at that time would be at greater risk of being injured," explained Mayor Marc Smith after the meeting.

An earlier proposed ordinance put forth by the committee in May, which restricted trash pickup to only one time slot after 7 a.m., was criticized by some sanitation workers as unsafe due to the number of drivers out at that time. The committee originally proposed that ordinance to combat a high number of complaints from residents that the trucks were coming too early and were disruptive.  

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Mayor Marc Smith described the amended ordinance as a compromise between the officials and the requests of the sanitation workers. He said he would prefer one collection time only, as it would be easier to enforce on the municipality's part.  However the sanitation workers preferred three collection times, as it enabled them to start working as early as possible.

"I would prefer there to be one time, the haulers preferred three times, so we ended up with two times," he said after the meeting.

Public hearing for this ordinance will take play July 20 at a township committee meeting.

 

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