Springfield Officials Decide on 2013 Garbage and Recycling Collection Schedule

After debate from members of the public and officials, the Springfield township committee voted to have weekly garbage and recycling pickups.

Under the terms of the agreement, Regional will handle garbage and Giordano will handle recycling. Recycling will be “single stream,” meaning that residents will not have to separate paper recycling from cans and plastic and can just put out one container of recyclable materials. As part of the agreement with Giordano, for each ton of recycling collected in Springfield, the township will receive a $3 rebate. E Officials estimate that the rebate will amount to about $5,000, which will be in addition to the approximate $35,000 worth of recycling rebates Springfield receives annually from the state and county.

Residents were split on the proposal to reduce garbage pickup from a twice weekly to a weekly schedule. While some thought the change would be a painless way to encourage more recycling, others worried that less frequent garbage collection would cause smells and attract rodents, particularly in warmer months.

Members of Springfield’s Environmental Commission spoke in favor of the proposal to increase recycling pickup and stagger garbage collection, saying that the impact would be minimal when weighed against the considerable benefits. One Commission member said that twice a week garbage pickup is a rarity for towns like Springfield. The member said that the convenience and frequency of the garbage collection discouraged recycling and cost Springfield money, as the township is charged for trash and can receive a rebate for recycling.

Alison Miller, also a member of the Environmental Commission, said the inconvenience would be negligible.

“I really only need [garbage collection] once a week,” Miller said. “My problem is my overflowing recycling.”

Other residents present at the meeting worried that storing garbage would create smells and attract rodents.

While they were expressed concerns about smells and about locking into a three year contract, township employees and officials were favored once a week garbage pick ups.

“We’re continuing in the right direction,” Springfield recycling coordinator Joseph Sarno said. “With more education, we’ll have more recycling. It will only help us.”