By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
Some residents of the village of North Syracuse aren’t happy with the new garbage and recycling containers distributed by Syracuse Haulers ahead of its transition to automatic trash collection, which starts Nov. 5.
At the Oct. 25 meeting of the Village Board of Trustees, resident Bob Ringham said the 95-gallon containers, in addition to being what he considers an unsightly shade of lime green, are simply too big for petite or elderly residents to maneuver.
“I’m not as concerned about [cost] as I am with convenience, the size of the units and the looks of the village,” Ringham said. “In a lot of the smaller homes, you’re not going to be able to tuck them out of the way so they’re not visible.”
Despite the hefty size of the trash containers, Ringham said neighbors have told him they have only been able to fit five or six small kitchen-size bags of trash. According to the trash contract, residents can put out up to 10 32-gallon bags of garbage.
The recycling containers are also 95 gallons.
“I don’t know anyone that really generates that much recyclables,” Ringham said. “I could see a smaller 65-gallon [container] for recyclables.”
Sue Hammond, another resident, said people might just throw their recyclables in with the trash so they only have to haul one bin to the curb. She said she will have to shovel more snow from her driveway and the curb to make room for the containers.
Hammond said residents might just leave their containers at the curb instead of dragging them back to the house or garage after trash pickup. She said snowplows could hit bins that are left out.
“They’re going to get mashed and bashed and trashed,” she said.
Mayor Gary Butterfield said while other sizes are available, Syracuse Haulers recommended the 95-gallon containers based on the number of households and the volume of trash they generate.
“We knew that there would be some people that would be upset, but this is the best for the village,” Butterfield said.
Village Attorney Scott Chatfield said he has seen other communities adjust to automated trash haulers and new containers as well, and the positives outweigh the negatives. He said residents may be able to get smaller containers but the village is starting with the 95-gallon cans.
“In other municipalities where they have transitioned from manual collection to automated collection, they have seen less trash in the streets. I don’t know what to tell you about the color,” Chatfield said. “The trash collection is done much more quickly and much more efficiently, and the truck, by the way, can handle any of the sizes [available] as long as they’re equipped with the necessary metal bars that the machine hooks into. They can pick up a 35, a 65 or a 95 and dump it.”
Butterfield said there will be an opportunity to discard old garbage cans, and the village will take residents’ feedback into consideration as automated collection rolls out.
Trustee Pat Gustafson urged residents to give the new containers and automated collection a few weeks before they decide it’s a disaster, as Hammond said it would be.
“We haven’t even started yet. Let’s give it a chance,” Gustafson.
