Allied Waste gets Liberty trash contract

By John W. Goodwin Jr.

The contract was accepted after a lengthy hearing of residents’ comments.

LIBERTY — There will now be only one company collecting trash in the township.

Trustees voted unanimously Monday to accept a proposal from Allied Waste of Youngstown to serve as the township’s exclusive trash collection company. The township had been serviced by three trash collection companies.

The township advertised for bids for trash pickup over several weeks, and Allied Waste was the only company to submit a bid. Allied Waste will provide the service for a monthly charge of $15.43 per resident for weekly trash collection. The company will collect recyclable items for free.

Residents will have an option of paying for trash collection by the bag. The price for by-the-bag collection will $2 per bag. Allied has also agreed to collect trash from all township-owned facilities free of charge — a savings to the township of about $11,000 annually.

The rate accepted from Allied Waste will be a fixed rate for the next three years.

Atty. Mark Finamore, who represents the township, said no other trash hauler can do business in the township once the agreement has been signed. Any other trash hauler that still does business here can be fined up to $500 per day, he said.

The decision to accept the Allied Waste bid came after a lengthy, and sometimes heated, discussion with township residents both in favor and opposed to the idea. Residents filled the government center meeting room to capacity Monday looking to voice various concerns about the plan.

Many residents showed concern about the inability of seniors and the disabled to handle the large recycle bins being supplied by Allied Waste. Brent Bowker, general manager of Allied Waste, said the company would pick up trash from near the house for an additional monthly fee.

There was also concern that the proposal does not include any provisions for a senior citizen discount, but Bowker said those seniors not generating much trash could pay by the bag.

Trustee Jodi Stoyak, a staunch supporter of the plan, said going to one trash collection company instead of the three will mean less noise from trucks collecting trash at various times and days, less pollution and less damage to township roads.

Stoyak offered a reminder of the program’s benefits to those in attendance at the Monday meeting.

Trustee Jack Simon said the majority of residents at the meeting supported the move, which encouraged trustees to accept the bid. He said about 40 percent of residents will see an initial increase in cost under the contract, but that will translate into savings in the long term with the three-year fixed rate.

“I think the selling point to the township is the three-year lock-in. We all know gas prices are not getting any lower and for a company to come in and offer a three-year locked-in rate, I commend that,” he said.

Trustee Gary Litch, who in a previous meeting demanded more public input before casting a vote, said he ultimately decided to support the move after it was made clear that residents could switch between the monthly charge and per bag pick up without penalty.

jgoodwin@vindy.com