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Hackensack council defends move to twice-weekly trash pickup; some residents question costs
Summary
Council members and staff told residents that increasing residential trash pickup to two times per week reduces truck and can damage and can be cost-neutral; some residents urged hiring more workers instead of expanded service.
Council members and several residents discussed residential sanitation policy at the Aug. 4 Hackensack Mayor and Council meeting after public comment raised concerns about a city announcement about a second weekly garbage pickup beginning Aug. 4.
A resident commenting during public comment said the second pickup would increase city costs and maintenance demands and argued the city should hire additional sanitation workers rather than add a twice-weekly pickup. The resident also said the extra pickup appeared politically motivated and called the earlier dome project a legacy favor to the previous administration.
Council members said the city reviewed past data comparing one- and two-times-per-week collection and concluded that two pickups can reduce overloading of cans and trucks, lower maintenance costs and lower injury risk for workers. Council members and staff said the change was implemented with no impact to the adopted budget; they characterized it as a quality-of-life improvement that can also reduce equipment wear.
Council members encouraged residents who do not need a second weekly pickup to continue using the previous once-weekly service informally by not setting cans out twice. The council did not present a new ordinance at the meeting; they described the change as an administrative/operational decision reached with DPW and finance staff.
Ending: Council members said they will continue to work with the Department of Public Works and the CFO to monitor costs and operational impacts of the pickup schedule and to address related cleanliness concerns on Main Street and other corridors raised by residents.
