Removal Of 'Green Bag' Trash System Spurs Public Concern In Chatham

CHATHAM, NJ — Misconceptions about the borough council's decision to replace the current "Green Bag" garbage collection system with a new automated system were dispelled at a recent borough council meeting.

Several residents spoke up, questioning the decision to transition from the current trash collection system, which is based on "pay as you throw," to an automated system in which a mechanical arm would empty bins into the garbage truck.

One major source of concern was the financial impact the switch would have on the borough's residents. Under the current system, everyone pays the same amount for collection, but the amount they pay for disposal is determined by how much they throw away.

"It really, really, really makes me angry, and we're all going to pay more. If it's going to cost us that much money to switch to less… I'm not going to tell you to dare to be stupid, I'm going to dare you to be smart and change the contract," local resident Valerie Clark said.

Under the new garbage system, the borough would have to purchase new garbage containers, which would cost approximately $28,166.

"If we move to an automated approach, the pricing is very different. There are elements of it that the borough incurs and there are elements of it that the residents no longer incur, so it's hard to do an apples to apples," Council member Jocelyn Mathiasen said.

However, according to Mathiasen, the switch will eventually reduce total garbage costs for everyone, both the borough and the residents. The borough is currently working on adjusting the pricing so that residents who generate the least amount of garbage will have a lower bill.

"Right now you're paying 60 percent. You're paying for other people's bulk and all of that would go down. The idea is to have a pricing structure for say, senior citizens and single-family households that would be lower than pretty much no green bag usage," Mathiasen said.

Joyce Martinsen, a local resident, spoke out against the switch, citing the loss of jobs that comes with switching to an automated system.

"I'm really not fond of what people are calling the 'one-armed bandit.' I prefer the two-armed able-bodied, friendly, hardworking human trash crews that pick up both the regular and the recycling in our town," Martinsen said.

Martinsen, who has lived in the borough for 30 years, asked the council if they have considered the loss of employment and wages for that group of workers.

In response, Mathiasen stated that one of the reasons the boroughs' garbage costs had increased was due to the company's inability to find employees to work on the backs of garbage trucks."Right now we are in a very tight labor economy and even increasing the wages significantly they have not been able to find people to do that."