×

Meeting focuses on trash management in region

Association members span Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon, Fulton

HOLLIDAYSBURG — Hollidaysburg’s American Legion may have seemed a good venue for Thursday’s South Central Counties Boroughs Association meeting, as local leaders have been weighing changes to trash pickups.

But waste management experts in attendance weren’t speaking solely to Hollidaysburg Borough Council members. Instead, they aimed to inform all members and guests of the association, which includes Blair, Bedford, Huntingdon and Fulton counties.

In opening the discussion, association President Patrick Plummer, who also is a Hollidaysburg councilman, talked about the struggles of maintaining the county recycling agency, the Intermunicipal Relations Committee, which faces dwindling reserves and mounting costs.

That is in addition to numerous residents without contracted trash haulers — a factor that contributes to property blight, he said.

“That is a huge issue that we are facing,” he said.

Those issues are not isolated to any one municipality, said Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Reiter compared trash accumulation with a child’s messy room. If a parent cleans it, the child often continues messy behavior, and, if the mess is left alone, it may send the message that that behavior is acceptable, she said.

The same applies to municipal waste, she said.

“Trash attracts trash,” Reiter said.

Reiter’s organization has identified more than 6,000 illegal dumpsites across the state, she said, noting “those dumpsites are on public and private property.”

The No. 1 way to fight those dumpsites, as well as accompanying health and environmental risks, is to provide convenient, affordable access to trash pickup services, Reiter said.

“A lot of folks in Pennsylvania do not have that,” she said, mentioning a number of programs available to improve trash collection.

Tim O’Donnell, Pennsyl­vania Waste Industries Association’s president, elaborated on ease of access, talking mostly about contracted municipal waste collection — a method that has been discussed locally by those considering single-hauler policies.

“Obviously, the advantages are pretty clear, when it comes to being able to enforce the rules,” he said, explaining compliance from both residents and collectors often is strong if haulers are mandated.

In Blair County, only Tyrone Borough has a single-hauler model. Tyrone Borough Manager Phyllis Garhart was in attendance Thursday and spoke about the system’s success.

“Single-hauler is definitely beneficial,” she said, noting residents now pay smaller pickup fees and trash accumulation has become less common.

O’Donnell said municipal leaders also can use contracts to establish regular recycling and bulk waste pickups.

Hollidaysburg Borough Council members have been weighing a single-hauler model for months. Currently, residents are responsible for contracting their own hauler, meaning multiple haulers can service the same street or block.

Recently, a group of residents living in Allegheny Lutheran Social Ministries’ cottages decided not to wait for council’s decision. At a reduced rate of $15 a month, 13 cottage residents contracted their own hauler.

Still, many others see the single-hauler model as bad for the community. In September, numerous opponents spoke against a change from the current model, explaining they like their freedom of choice and feel that municipal contracts are a government overstep that could put small haulers out of business.

Similar concerns have been expressed in other Blair County municipalities.

Hollidaysburg Borough Council members plan to discuss the issue at their meeting next month, possibly taking action, Borough Manager James Gehret

said.

 

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.39/week.

Subscribe Today