Garbage collection proposal makes sense

Resistance to change is part of the human condition. At least for most of us. Someone suggests something new and more often than not we’d rather stick with the status quo. The devil you know, right?

Proposed roundabouts on McClures Mills Road in Truro and Robie Street in Lower Truro come to mind here. Or how about the traffic lights at Young and Prince streets in downtown Truro, allowing for left- hand turns? That took some getting used to.

But some ideas do make sense from the get- go, the most recent one being a new waste management proposal for Colchester County.

At present, county residents take out their recyclables one week and their garbage/ compost the next.

The system seems to work OK, but Miller Waste Systems, the company that collects this stuff, would like to change course and have all pickups at an individual residence occur on the same day every second week. Why? Well, one reason is the annual $ 100,000 cost saving for the Miller Waste Systems, primarily because it would have one less fuel- guzzling truck on the road.

This, in turn, would reduce the municipality’s costs by about $ 35,000 per year, or $ 175,000 over the current five- year contract, which is not a bad selling point, either.

Miller Waste Systems district manager Jeff Traver told county council the proposed system would make it easier for residents to follow and improve the system for his company.

He also says that eliminating Monday pickups and moving to a four- day collection ( Tuesday to Friday) would be beneficial to residents, especially when Monday holidays require Saturday pickups. And we all know how confusing that can be.

We agree with the rationale behind this proposal and, apparently, so do some of our readers.

In a recent trurodaily. com online poll, 54 per cent of respondents thought the proposal was a ‘ great idea’ and 23 per cent were ‘ OK either way.’

Only four per cent thought it was a ‘ bad idea’ and five per cent were happy with the ‘ status quo.’

No, it’s not a scientific sampling, but it is a small measuring stick nonetheless.

So bring on same- day collections. It will mean one less thing to worry about every other week.