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Politics & Government

City Council Postspones Vote on Garbage Moratorium

Proposed ordinance would halt bulk pickup of garbage from May 10 to June 10.

After hearing comments from city residents, landlords, community leaders and University students on Wednesday, the city council agreed to postpone voting on an ordinance that would effectively prohibit city residents from disposing of bulk items — like furniture and mattresses — from mid-May to mid-June.

This time period, which would last from May 10 to June 10, falls between the end of the semester, when many students return home for the summer, and is also the primary period where renters renew, sign and transfer leases.

These reasons, among others, account for why there is such a dramatic increase in the amount of bulk items left for city workers pick up and dispose of during this time period.

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The current rules pertaining to bulk item pickup require each resident contact the Department of Public Works and request pick up for up to three bulk items, said Glenn Patterson, city director of planning and development, during the meeting.

The issues the city faces every year regarding bulk item pick up, however, is the failure of many residents to contact the DPW to schedule a pick up and to adhere to the three item cap, as well as leaving bulk items on the sidewalks days before the scheduled pick up date, Patterson said.

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Increases in the amount of debris and garbage flooding the city creates not just an “eye sore” for visitors and residents, but also presents a safety hazard, he said.

The proposed ordinance, however, would prohibit the arrangement of bulk item pick up during this period, and if enforced, would leave residents susceptible to hefty fines if they should leave items out for pick up.

During the moratorium, residents could bring bulk garbage to the DPW garage to be handed over to city sanitation worker for proper disposal.

While some citizens came out to voice their opinion in support of the ordinance, the majority of those who spoke requested that the city council postpone the vote and explore more mutually appealing alternatives to the proposed ordinances.

“It would make sense to take this and put it aside,” said city landlord Jim Wash. “There’s plenty of time to actually look at this issue and explore this issue further and come up with a solution that I think can make everybody happy.”

One of the many concerns of city residents was that although the city says it costs them an extra $40,000 a year to manage all the bulk items during this time period, that number would pale in comparison to how much city residents would have to pay to hire private contractors to dispose of the trash.

Another primary concern raised by the public was in regards to those loosing to scapegoat adherence to the ordinance by taking their bulk items and placing them on street corners or even on other residential properties, which poses a risk of others bring susceptible to the fines.

“There seems to be an underlying assumption if it’s on my property I’m responsible [for it],” said Harvey Street resident Charles Renda. “I don’t think that’s right and I don’t think that’s fair.”

Some members of the public agreed with the ordinance, noting that residents, students and landlords should be held accountable for the garbage they bring into and out of the city.

“Frankly, I think your ordinance is well thought out but I think you’re still being far too generous,” said Parkview Drive resident and mayor's office employee Christopher Butler. “To have residents be able to have curb-side pickups 11 months out of the year surpasses most municipalities in the area.”

Rutgers University Student Assembly president Matt Cordeiro asked the council to postpone the vote on the ordinance until the New Brunswick City Student Advisory Committee has a chance to look at it and offer constructive input for it.

“When something really does affect the students so much I really do think they should have some sort of input into such an ordinance,” Cordeiro said. “Mayor Jim Cahill made this committee, I thought, just for ordinances like this.”

But one proposed alternative made by the council that everyone seemed to agree with was the city and University should look into developing what has been referred to as the "Dump & Run" program.

Dump & Run is a program participated in by over 25 universities throughout the country consisting of volunteers who go around, pick up bulk items, and either place them in storage or sell them in a flea market-styled process, Patterson said.

“This is used at a number of other universities, and the dollars that are raised from purchasing these used items are given to charity,” Patterson said, noting that Ohio State University’s last Dump & Run raised around $4,000 for local charities. “It helps reuse the furniture and divert waste from the landfill.”

The purpose of the ordinance is not to single out one or two particular groups of people in the city. Rather, it is to ensure that people adhere to their responsibilities to uphold the law and properly dispose of their garbage in a timely manner, rather than forcing the responsibility onto city DPW workers, said council member Kevin Egan.

“We cannot…sit here and have obscene amounts of garbage like illustrated in those [presentation] pictures. It’s not right,” Egan said. “I’m tired of going through this town and seeing the disgusting 10 mattresses, 15 tables, at one house.”

The council agreed to postpone the vote on the ordinance until the Sept. 21 meeting, but approved an amendment to the ordinance which would order the fine for anyone disposing of bulk items during the moratorium to be a flat fee of $250, rather than the originally proposed $100 per item.
   

   
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