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The
City Council voted last week to approve a new waste disposal contract
with Waste Management (apparently the only company to have submitted
a bid) whereby brand new 64 gallon trash/recycling containers will be
provided and required for residents throughout the city (a limit of
100 smaller containers will be provided for elderly residents or
individuals with disabilities that cannot easily handle the new
larger containers). Based upon my conversation with Kate
Leonard (the only Council Member to vote against the proposed
contract…Councilor Farley recused himself), each residence (i.e.,
home, apartment unit, condo unit, etc.) will be provided with two of
the 64 gallon containers, one for garbage and one for recycling, at a
cost of nearly $1,000,000 to the taxpayers. Additionally,
residents will now have to pay extra for disposal of "bulk"
items that do not fit into the new containers. Waste Management
hopes to start phasing-in collection trucks that are equipped with
mechanical arms that are able to lift the new containers off of the
sidewalk and dump them into the trucks (thereby saving on labor costs
by cutting down on crew sizes). A few questions and concerns:
1.
Costs: Why was there only one bid received for this
contract and how much negotiating was done with Waste Management
before it was approved by the Council? Moreover, why does this
new deal require that the taxpayers cover the $1,000,000 costs of the
new containers? In speaking with Councilor Leonard, it appears
that in most cases it is the waste disposal company (not the
taxpayers) that pays for any new containers that are required for its
disposal programs. Why, then, are we accepting the one and only
bid that does just the opposite by requiring taxpayers to pay nearly
$1,000,000 for new containers that many of us do not want or need
(while also charging extra for "bulk" items that were
previously picked up at no additional cost)? Moreover,
Councilor Leonard confirmed that many similar programs implemented by
other municipalities give residents the option to choose from a range
of various container sizes…rather than mandating that the largest
and most expensive containers be purchased and used city-wide. Why
is Newport opting for this very expensive "one size fits all"
approach?
2.
Feasibility: In speaking with various neighbors and
residents throughout town, there are many significant and reasonable
questions and concerns (in addition to the cost-related questions set
forth above) that should be addressed and answered before a new
contract is signed. (I found out over the weekend that there
was an online survey that solicited feedback on various options for
the new collection program. Neither I nor the neighbors that I
spoke to were aware of any such survey). In no particular
order, here are the top questions/concerns so far:
(i)
Typically, these large garbage containers need to be placed directly
at curbside (on the right-hand side of the street in the case of a
one-way street) due to the positioning of the automated lift-arm on
the right-hand side of the collection trucks. On collection
days, the containers cannot be left at the side of a house or set
back in a side yard or driveway, etc. Rather, the containers
must be left ON THE SIDEWALK very close to the street. Will
this be true for Newport and, if so, how can this possibly work in
areas such as Historic Hill, the Yachting Village, portions of the
Point, etc., that have narrow one-way streets where the houses are
built right up to the street/sidewalk (many without driveways) and
where parked cars will block easy-access to the new 64 gallon
containers? Are the narrow sidewalks in these areas going to be
clogged each week with hundreds of these large garbage bins?
[Remember, there are 2 bins required per residence so even a modest 4
unit building will now have up to 8 of these large bins out on the
sidewalk on collection day.]
(ii)
In areas where the automated lift arms are not practicable, won't
there be a need for standard work crews? Are the costs of those
crews covered by this new contract or will that be an "extra"
cost to be paid by Newport once WM figures out that the automated
"lift arm" trucks won't work in many areas of town?
(iii)
Are the elderly or disabled residents (most of whom produce nowhere
near 64 gallons of garbage and another 64 gallons of recyclables each
week) who are not lucky enough to get one of the 100 smaller
containers going to be forced to use these larger containers?
(iv)
Can residents choose a smaller sized container?
(v)
Are the residents who are living on the right hand side of a one-way
street going to be forced to live with their cross-street neighbors'
garbage bins being lined-up in front of their homes each week so that
a truck's mechanical arm can reach the bins?
(vi)
On many narrow streets in the downtown area, larger vehicles
have to drive up onto the sidewalk on a daily basis in order to make
it through. How will they do this on days when the sidewalk is
blocked with the new larger collection bins that must be left on the
curb for pick-up?
(vii)
What happens on collection days when snow/ice is piled high on the
curbs and sidewalks?
(viii)
Where are residents to store the larger containers if they don't have
room for them? [With respect to this question, my relatively
new heavy-duty 30 gallon garbage cans (that barely fit in the
enclosed space that I created under our front steps) are doing a fine
job of holding our garbage. What am I to do with those
containers now (will the City or WM buy them from me???) and where am
I to store the 2 new much larger containers that will not fit beneath
our front stairs? We live on Historic Hill and the 64 gallon
containers are simply too large and cumbersome to fit through the
narrow gate and walkway that leads to our postage-stamp backyard (we
have no driveway or side yards) so it appears that the new containers
will have to be permanently parked next to our front steps. Many
residents in town will have the same problem. How nice that
will look (and smell)…]
(ix)
Are flower boxes and flagpoles going to have to be removed on narrow
streets so as to give the trucks room to lift, dump and replace the
new large garbage bins?
(x)
Are WM workers going to be responsible, under the terms of the
contract, for making sure that these heavy containers are left
upright and in an orderly fashion rather than simply strewn on
sidewalks, side yards, flower beds, against fences, houses, cars,
etc. (an ongoing problem throughout town that has often resulted in
property damage)?
(xi)
Can residents opt-out of this program and continue to use their
current garbage and recycling bins?
(xii)
How much extra will it cost for "bulk" items to be picked
up (i.e., items that don't fit into the 64 gallon bin)?
If
anyone has answers to these questions or information regarding plans
to alleviate these concerns, please post it here (unfortunately, I
have been told that the 64 gallon container plan will be implemented
on a uniform basis throughout Newport…no exceptions or exemptions
have been considered other than the 100 smaller containers described
above). More importantly, please contact any City Councilors
who voted in favor of this new program and ask them to reconsider
this matter at the next Council meeting and suspend the execution of
any new contract until such time as other bids have been received and
considered and until public concerns have been heard and addressed.
R.
Buzard
Newport,
RI
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