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Town of Porter still adjusting to new residential trash service

Fri, Sep 4th 2020 11:00 am

Town delays planned start of autoloading pickups

Staff reports

The Town of Porter informs that deliveries of new, 95-gallon waste totes continue to residences. Begun Aug. 24, the new trash receptacles are designed specifically for the auto-loading of weekly curbside trash collections at residences by the town’s solid waste provider, Modern Disposal Services. The town said each cart is assigned a unique set of identifying numbers and bar code per residence. This allows for tracking should the cart become lost or missing.

Town Supervisor John “Duffy” Johnston announced that, as distribution of the new totes continues, the planned start of auto-loading pickups by Modern has been pushed back from Sept. 1 to Oct. 1, so residents should continue to set out their garbage at curbside as before.

Johnston explained the change stemmed from some problems in delivery of the totes to residences, questions on information contained in the “trash talk” mailers residents received from Modern, and delays in the mail. “So we decided to move the collection back. Meanwhile, people can start using their brand-new totes now.”

Johnston said Modern was still adjusting its shift to trucks with the self-autoloading capability. The new service is intended to address costs associated with the current manual trash pickups by Modern crews.

He said some town residents have already begun using their new totes, and Modern trucks are being equipped with a unit allowing for the actual lifting of the containers for dumping.

“They can start using their totes now, but they can still put out their regular garbage like they did before,” Johnston said.

As far as bulk garbage pickups, he said, “For the whole month of September, it will be pickups as usual. On Oct. 1 it will change to the one-cart system, and then there will be a bulk pickup in December” (referring to Modern’s quarterly bulk trash pickup schedule announced in the mailers).

“Right now, they’ll have an extra month to clean the house and get everything ready for pickup on the outside at the curb,” Johnston said.

He also announced that, starting Oct. 1, there will be a Dumpster placed in the Town Hall parking lot, 3265 Creek Road, allowing for disposal of yard waste by residents. This includes leaves and grass clippings only – no brush.

“Residents will be allowed to bring their leaves and grass clippings in a clear bag or a paper bag. No black garbage bags will be allowed,” Johnston said.

The town Highway Department will compost the leaves and grass clippings deposited in the Town Hall Dumpster at its Balmer Road facility.

“We’re going to try to work it out in a staging area there; I’d rather these leaves and grass clippings go to compost than go fill a landfill,” Johnston said. “This Dumpster will be at the Town Hall parking lot under the lights with video cameras on it.”

He explained the monitoring was intended to prevent visitors from stopping and depositing other large items such as furniture, mattresses, etc.

Hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week from Oct. 1 to Nov. 1. Johnston said, should the experimental Town Hall Dumpster program go off without problems, the town would consider returning it in the spring.

He stressed this program is for town residents only; drop-offs by landscape contractors or others is not permitted and violators would be charged.

As far as large, bulk trash collections, Johnston said Modern is providing for the pickup of three items from residences each quarter. For 2020, the next scheduled pickup date would be on Saturday, Dec. 12. Residents are advised to visit www.moderncorporation.com for more information.

He also said the Town of Porter would issue two dump permits each year to town residents at no charge, allowing for bulk trash drop-offs/disposal at the Modern landfill in the Town of Lewiston. Residents with the town-issued dump permit will be able to dispose of additional items with no weight limit. Permits and more information on this program are available at Town Hall.

“They (Modern) will weigh it, and that’s how we’ll get charged with the tonnage,” Johnston said.

Town residents will be able to utilize this program on two occasions throughout the year.

Meanwhile, distribution of the new trash carts and postal mailers to single-family homes as well as duplexes and trifamily residences continue throughout Porter. Q&A topics in the mailers include:

•What is allowed in the new totes?

Regular and bagged household trash up to the container’s 95-gallon capacity. The trash contents must fit inside the receptacle and not be overflowing, allowing for the lid to close.

Residents are advised to place their carts a minimum of 3 feet away from a vehicle or other objects, and the receptacle handles should face toward the residence, not the street. Residents are requested to have the receptacles at curbside by 6 a.m. on their collection day. Should a receptacle blow over or become knocked down, the resident is requested to place it upright to allow for pickup.

•Modern advises that, should additional trash be placed curbside, according to its town agreement, a resident would need to acquire what is being called “additional capacity” tags allowing for pickup of the bagged household trash. The “additional capacity” tags are available for $5 per tag at Porter Town Hall during normal business hours.

“This is another option for residents; we’re trying to do the best we can,” Johnston said.

Should residents find themselves in need of an additional 95-gallon tote for their weekly trash pickups, they are requested to contact Porter Town Hall at 716-754-3730. The additional cart would cost $55 per unit and increase the property owner’s annual $203 refuse district fee bill by $55.

•Can residents opt out of this program?

No, all single-family, double-, or triple-family residences in Porter are required to participate in the town’s new refuse collection program.

For more information, residents should contact Town Hall at 716-745-3730 or visit the Modern website listed above.

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