Town, village could be served by single waste hauler
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. » The Town Board is reviewing a proposal from County Waste to be the lone solid waste hauler for the town and village if garbage districts are formed.
New Paltz Supervisor Neil Bettez said the County
Waste proposal would be the least expensive for residents among three that were submitted.
“It’s a single-hauler initiative,” Bettez said. “Whoever wins this would have the sole right to collect garbage and recyclables in the town and village. Right now in the village, haulers need to be licensed, and I think there are five haulers who are licensed. In the town we have no rules whatsoever, so you could have your neighbor pick up your garbage.”
The three proposal, submitted last month, were from:
• County Waste, which would charge $21.97 per month to customers with 95-gallon containers. Customers with 35-gallon containers would pay $1 less per month.
• Royal Carting, which would charge $35.50 per month to customers with 95-gallon containers and $30.95 per month for those with 65-gallon containers.
• Waste Management, which would charge $39.50 per month to customers with 64- or 96-gallon containers of there are 1,600 or fewer customers;$33.50 if there are 1,600 to 2,400 customers; $31 if there are 2,400 to 3,200 customers; and $29.50 if there are more than 3,200 customers.
Bettez said County Waste’s proposal, if accepted, means no customers would pay more than their current rates.
“No one’s price would go up if we awarded this contract to County Waste,” he said. “But some people are upset because we’re taking away their right to choose a waste hauler.”
The supervisor said the proposals were sought after some residents complained about predawn pickups.
Also, he said, “unless everyone on the same street [currently] has the same hauler, there could be five different trucks going down your street every week.”
“Those trucks are equivalent to about a 1,000 vehicles each,” Bettez said, adding that studies have shown that by “converting to a single waste hauler, you increase the life of a road by about 10 years.”