Council Extends Public Hearing On Trash Collection Changes

The Vienna Town Council voted Monday night to extend saying it wanted more feedback and answers to a few issues raised by residents.

The public hearing will continue at 8 p.m. Jan. 30.

This month's "At Your Service" meeting, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall, will also feature an information session on some of the proposed changes.

In December, Public Works staff member Jonathan Wooden proposed a number of improvements to the town's sanitation practices, among them, more clearly defining what can and can't be picked up and also streamlining the process.

Monday's public hearing invited resident comment onthe first round of those suggestions, which include new definitions for single-stream recycling, yard waste, household trash and contractor-generated materials, which would be banned under the new rules. It also sets forward a number of regulations for how trash is to be set out and containers removed after collection.

The town would aim to have these changes in place by July 1.

A second level of changes would allow residents to place their recycling, trash, brush, yard waste and bulk items at the curb on the same day weekly. It divides the town into into five districts, giving each of them a set day for pickup of all items.

A map of the proposed five districts _can be found here. _This plan will be discussed further at Tuesday's information session.

In December, Wooden said current pickup rules -- which dictate crews pick up trash and recycling from each residence in the Town of Vienna once a week, on separate days and force residents to request pickups for other items -- is confusing to residents. It's also inefficient, he said, because sanitation crews deal only with trash and recycling but not with special pickups, which are handled by street maintenance teams. Those teams must stop normal work, such as laying asphalt, to do those pickups, which delays other town projects.

Some residents at Monday's public hearing took issue with some of the proposed definitions and practices, most notably the changes to language about tree debris.

Whereas the current version of the code allows residents to place tree branches and parts at the curb for special pickups, the proposed changes would limit those pieces to a maximum length of eight feet and a diameter of six inches.

A Ninovan Road resident, who noted he town encourages residents to "beautify" their properties often through landscaping and other vegetation, said he thinks much of the debris homeowners would deal with while maintaining their yards would exceed that six-inch diameter.

Since the proposal eliminates the two free special pickups currently offered for each resident annually, in favor of weekly brush and debris pickups alongside trash and recycling, it puts residents in a tough spot, he said.

"Should the town not pick those up the cost burden would fall on the residents as well," he said. "That can be heavy."

"I'd be inclined to look at that ...that's an issue," Councilman Howard Springsteen said.

Other residents worried about logistics of the new streamlined pickup, though those changes weren't specifically included in this hearing.

Donna Kourtz, president of a Center Street town house complex homeowner's association, said units in her development don't have as much space as many single-family homes do. Having trash, recycling and other materials out in front of all units at once could pose health and pedestrian issues, along with conflicts with the association’s own rules.

She said she hoped the town could work with her development and others like it to find solutions.

"It's not like this is something the Council dreamed up," Mayor Jane Seeman said. "It’s something they have looked at over the years and have come up with this so I'm encouraged by that."

The Council will wait to vote on the first proposed round of changes until adjustments are made, and, it receives more feedback both through the continuation of the hearing and Tuesday's "At Your Service" forum.