Totes are coming to Lancaster

[Lee Chowaniec]

On, or about June 7th, the Town of Lancaster posted the following on its website:

DRAFT REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO PROVIDE REFUSE COLLECTION, DISPOSAL AND RECYCLABLE MATERIALS COLLECTION AND PROCESSING

At the June 18th town board work session meeting an hour long discussion ensued where some of the contract nuances were reviewed. It was announced that by the July 16th town board meeting the Draft Request for proposals would be finalized and ready for resolution approval. It is yet to be formalized and put up for resolution.

Some information provided at the June 14th town board meeting:

The contract is scheduled to be awarded by October, 2017 and the new contract start date is scheduled for February 2019
If award is made to a contractor other than the lowest bidder, the Town will hold a public hearing. Legally, no public hearing is required to be scheduled on professional service contracts and none is intended.

The town is definitely going to a tote collection system for solid waste and recyclables

The 95 gallon totes (carts) weigh 42 pounds EMPTY – the 65 gallon tote weighs 30 lbs Empty

In the written proposal, they're including some 65 gal recycling for Multiple-Family Residential 3 districts

Estimated Number of Carts:

Cart Size/Type Quantity
65-gallon Refuse 1,000
95-gallon Refuse 14,000
65-gallon Recycling 1,000
95-gallon Recycling 14,000

The following summarizes the options the Town anticipates providing for residential properties:

a. Single Family Parcels, including patio homes and condominiums: property owners will select from two (2) varying refuse container capacities, 65-gallon and 95-gallon. Only multiple 95-gallon containers are permitted, and no parcel shall exceed four (4) 95-gallon containers.

6.26.15 Education/Promotion and Outreach:

The contractor will work with the Town (or representatives thereof) to provide service-orientated information to residents, and developing and executing public education to encourage waste reduction and recycling. The contractor shall provide an 8-1/2” x 11” two color insert to be included in each customer’s recycling receptacle (approximately 14,000 inserts required). This insert will inform residents of the specifics of the refuse and recyclables collection program, including a collection schedule, a listing of acceptable materials, and instructions on the proper handling of the collection bins or carts. The contents of the insert must be approved by the Town.

6.26.16 Public Informational Meetings:

Upon selection, but prior to implementation of the refuse collections service, the selected
Contractor will be required to participate with Town staff in two (no greater than four) public meetings which will describe the new service to Town residents/customers.

Comments

At the June 18th town board work session meeting Supervisor Coleman remarked that everyone coming into her office was asking when the totes were coming. Well, they are coming but not everyone favors there coming for myriad personal reasons and the ensuing costs to the town taxpayers. Despite the draft proposal being on the town website and an informative work session taking place, few residents are aware of the mandated tote system coming as nothing has appeared in the media on the project, considering a public hearing is not required, and no resident has come forward at board meetings to question or challenge the mandated tote process.

Hopefully the town is considering the following concerns and questions some residents likely have:

• For the great majority of residents who are in compliance with the lidded container code (having already spent personal funds to be in compliance), why are they now being compelled to participate and pay into a program to bring slackers into compliance?

• Has Lancaster experienced an increase in rodent sighting complaints? Has the Erie County vector zone noted an increase in rodent sightings and/or complaints? Residents in other municipalities do not report a decrease in rodent sightings because of the use of totes if other good practices are not in place regarding picking up dog feces, not ground feeding, not picking up bird feeder spills, and uncut grass and un-kept properties resulting in pest harborage, etc.

• What are we expected to do with the containers we have already purchased?

• Seniors and individuals with disabilities will encounter difficulty in handling the larger, heavier totes.

• Residents in MFR-3 districts have an option of requesting a smaller cart because of storage space / age / handling restrictions, shouldn’t the same restrictions apply to any housing dwelling; why no option here.

• By current Town Ordinance refuse containers should be stored in buildings or enclosures. This code requirement is not being enforced. The larger containers stored in garages will adversely impact space availability and if stored in sheds will not fit many current sized sheds. The ordinance was established to prevent rodents from eating through totes. This ordinance may be eliminated out of necessity as the great majority of enclosures that are now in use will not be big enough to store the larger sized totes (carts) – which means leaving them outdoors rendering them susceptible to rodent and other varmint entry.

• According to this proposal, bulk pickups (furniture, appliances carpeting) will take place only once per month – a hardship for communities like ours as where do you store the bulk.

• Recyclables will be picked up every other week.

• If the town purchases its own totes, is there an opportunity to receive a grant to offset the tote costs?

• If the contractor were to supply the totes, is there an upside to that option?

• Are the garbage trucks so automated to allow for only a one man operation?

• The tote operation appears to favor the waste management company regarding operation handling, reduced labor intensity, medical costs from lifting, etc. Will the town realize a cost reduction from the tote operation?

Simply put, what is the upside of this project for the town, for the waste management company? Yes, the winning contractor is scheduled to meet with the public to review the collection process. That is after the fact. Hopefully the town is considering the concerns of residents who have reservations on the inception of this program and are able to present sound reasons for spending taxpayer funds.

There is sound reason for the town to encourage public participation and input into the upcoming mandated tote project. It behooves the town to present the project in such light that it will get buy-in from all residents not just the slackers and waste removal agencies; to assure the community that it will not be getting less services for more money!

[gorja]

I have 2 - 64 gallon - $75. hinged top totes in good shape with 10 year warranty. I'd come home from work on garbage day and find my lids no where to be seen. So, to comply with the town refuse regulations, I purchased one of these. After a year or so, I purchased the other. I wish they would let us use our own until they're worn out. I don't like throwing money away as in trashing my totes to make room for the town's totes in my garage.

[mark blazejewski]

Hopefully the town is considering the following concerns and questions some residents likely have:

• For the great majority of residents who are in compliance with the lidded container code (having already spent personal funds to be in compliance), why are they now being compelled to participate and pay into a program to bring slackers into compliance?

• Has Lancaster experienced an increase in rodent sighting complaints? Has the Erie County vector zone noted an increase in rodent sightings and/or complaints? Residents in other municipalities do not report a decrease in rodent sightings because of the use of totes if other good practices are not in place regarding picking up dog feces, not ground feeding, not picking up bird feeder spills, and uncut grass and un-kept properties resulting in pest harborage, etc.

• What are we expected to do with the containers we have already purchased?

• Seniors and individuals with disabilities will encounter difficulty in handling the larger, heavier totes.

• Residents in MFR-3 districts have an option of requesting a smaller cart because of storage space / age / handling restrictions, shouldn’t the same restrictions apply to any housing dwelling; why no option here.

• By current Town Ordinance refuse containers should be stored in buildings or enclosures. This code requirement is not being enforced. The larger containers stored in garages will adversely impact space availability and if stored in sheds will not fit many current sized sheds. The ordinance was established to prevent rodents from eating through totes. This ordinance may be eliminated out of necessity as the great majority of enclosures that are now in use will not be big enough to store the larger sized totes (carts) – which means leaving them outdoors rendering them susceptible to rodent and other varmint entry.

• According to this proposal, bulk pickups (furniture, appliances carpeting) will take place only once per month – a hardship for communities like ours as where do you store the bulk.

• Recyclables will be picked up every other week.

• If the town purchases its own totes, is there an opportunity to receive a grant to offset the tote costs?

• If the contractor were to supply the totes, is there an upside to that option?

• Are the garbage trucks so automated to allow for only a one man operation?

• The tote operation appears to favor the waste management company regarding operation handling, reduced labor intensity, medical costs from lifting, etc. Will the town realize a cost reduction from the tote operation?

Lee, thank you for that comprehensive list of concerns. To the issues you raised, I will just add I second those concerns.

With the once-a-month pick-up for bulk items, yes, storage will be a problem.

Also, especially regarding the sick elderly, vast amounts of paper products used for sanitary reasons tend to accumulate to an unbelievable extent. Under the current system, we are permitted to use up to ten containers. In my past experiences, there were times when that limit was nearly met. So, I must ask, under the "new system," are there any "special" accommodations for those who are dealing with those under Hospice care or other in-home medical experiences?

Not to have any such "special" accommodations, would again, require storage, and that in my mind, would only defeat the intended purpose of sanitary redress, and is too disgusting to contemplate.

Again, thank you for raising issues in connection with the "down side" of the tote issue.

[WNYresident]

• If the town purchases its own totes, is there an opportunity to receive a grant to offset the tote costs?

Why not call Gerald who is on the town board of Cheektowaga. We already went through this process. You can also compare prices our town paid for our totes.

[Neubs24]

Bulk pickup once a month? No way. Here's Google Street View from the week I closed on my house. Where is someone supposed to store a garbage load like that?

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[gorja]

Bulk pickup once a month? No way. Here's Google Street View from the week I closed on my house. Where is someone supposed to store a garbage load like that?

Untitled.jpg

What would they expect someone to do with that? You should see the piles of junk that's out on Central in the village on some garbage days. I don't if they're emptying out abandon apartments or what. Sometimes those piles are HUGE

[Neubs24]

I think people would leave it at the curb until bulk day, which would be bad for all parties. That pic doesn't even show the whole pile behind it, about 1200 sq ft of carpet and pad.