Today’s Asbury Park Press has a story about efforts by Red Bank and Fair Haven to cut their trash-disposal expenses, one by curtailing pickups for non-profits and the other by having the schools fend for themselves.

In Red Bank, where elected officials have long complained about a surfeit of organizations that provide essential services to the region but pay no taxes to the borough, an ordinance was passed recently that limits churches, schools and other groups to the same three-cans-per-pickup that residents are allowed.

That’s expected to save the borough $50,000 this year, according to Mayor Pasquale Menna.

But the change didn’t sit well with Lee Burle, administrator for the First Baptist Church, who appealed to the borough council in April to waive the three-can limit because the church lets five service groups, including Alcoholics Anonymous, meet in the church, and those services put the church over the three-can threshold, th Press reports.

“We’d like to stay in the three-can (limit), but (the groups) create additional trash,” Burle said.

Menna said the church would have to make provisions for its own trash pickup, which Burle said would cost the church money.

“That’s the same problem taxpayers have in Red Bank,” Menna said, referring to the cost of collection and disposal.

In Fair Haven, the schools are on their own, though there’s some bugs to be worked out as to just when the garbage can be collected by private haulers.

Fair Haven’s school district started contracting with a private trash hauler to collect garbage at two schools after borough officials nixed the service. But when the hauler showed up at 6 a.m., it was ticketed, charged with violating an ordinance that bans commercial trash collection before 8 a.m.

Borough officials are considering amending the ordinance that regulates commercial trash collection and other activities such as what time of the morning landscapers and contractors can start working. That amendment could exempt public entities such as the schools, said Mary Howell, borough administrator.

Officials were trying to work out a time of around 7:30 a.m., before students arrived.

In other trash news… blogging Fair Haven Mayor Mike Halfacre reports that:

Summer “Twice-A-Week” Trash Collection Schedule is in effect thru September. In order to increase customer service to our residents, ‘twice-a-week” trash collection started in mid-May and will run through the end of September. This extends service beyond the normal Memorial Day to Labor Day period for extra DPW collections of trash. It is hoped this should prevent domestic trash build up in during the warmer late spring and early fall months.

Email this story