Final Phases of the new Refuse and Recycling Program

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As we know, Phase I of Rockville’s long-awaited new Refuse and Recycling Program was implemented for approximately 3,500 homes and now the rest of us are finding out when it’s our turn.

If you haven’t been included in the new program and want to check which phase you will be in, you can go to the City’s Refuse and Recycling website and type in your address. Your home will pop up on a map along with other information such as your voting precinct, Neighborhood Resource Coordinator, and neighborhood association.

Here’s the long list which was just released by the City. My home is in the last phase and I can’t believe I have to wait until December to receive my new bin for the expanded recycling!

Phase 2 will begin the week of July 27, and will include 16 communities, or portions of them, and four individual streets:

Burgundy Estates
College Gardens
Fallsbend
Fallsmead
Fallswood
Flint Ledge Estates
Glen Hills Club
Remaining areas of Horizon Hill
Jefferson Place
King Farm
RedGate Farms
Rockcrest Courts
Rockshire
Saddlebrook
Silver Rock with the exception of streets located to the east of Edmonston Drive.
Twinbrook with the exception of streets located to the east of Edmonston Drive.
First Street (200 block)
Hectic Hill Lane (8200 and 8300 blocks)
Scott Drive (9000 and 9200 blocks)
Veirs Drive (9304, 9612, 9708)

Phase 3 will begin the week of September 28, and will include six communities, or portions of them, and one individual street:

Chadsberry with the exception of streets located to the west of Edmonston Drive.
Montrose with the exception of streets located to the west of Edmonston Drive.
North Farm with the exception of streets located to the west of Edmonston Drive.
Silver Rock
Twinbrook
Twinbrook Forest Condominiums
Baltimore Road

Phase 4 will begin the week of December 7 and include the remaining communities, or portions that were not listed for prior phases:

Cambridge Cluster
Cambridge Heights
Carter Hill
Chestnut Lodge
Courthouse Walk
Fallsgrove
Glenora Hills
Great Pines
Griffith Oaks
Heritage Park Co-op
Homes at Fallsgrove
Lynfield
Markwood
New Mark Commons
Rockshire (Glenmore Terrace, Northrup Court, Lodge Court, Lodge Place and Windy Knoll Court)
Thirty Oaks
Watts Branch Meadows
West End
Woodley Gardens
Woodley Gardens West End
Darnestown Road (9100 block)
Dav Road (4)
West Montgomery Avenue (1450)

POTD: At The Ready

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If you listened to last Friday’s edition of Rockville Central Radio, you know that Rockville Central editor Cindy Cotte Griffiths is a bit sad that she is not in Phase One of the new trash pickup roll-out. I hope she is not too sad to see all these new trash bins all stacked up. If it is any consolation, i am not in phase one either!

This great shot is by Adam Schwartzman. Of it, he says: “Apparently the city of Rockville is using the area around the King Farm barns to store our new garbage cans. It’s kind of humorous to see all of the trash cans in one place.”

New Refuse and Recycling Program: What You Need To Know

Rockville’s long-awaited once-per-week >Refuse and Recycling Program is finally starting. If you are in Phase I, you should have already received a notice in the mail and an invitation to attend a Recycling/Refuse Informational Meeting. Phase I will start on either October 27th or 29th, 2008 depending on whether your pickup is Monday or Wednesday. A new color-coded Guide has been printed to help us learn the new system.

If you want to know when you will switch to the new schedule, you can go to the City’s Refuse and Recycling website and type in your address. Your home will pop up on a map along with other information such as your Voting Precinct, Neighborhood Resource Coordinator, and neighborhood association.

Even though I thought I understood the expanded recycling and refuse program changes, last Saturday’s presentation at City Hall taught me a thing or two. The firsthand look at the new trucks, wheeled carts, and expanded recycling items was useful, so don’t miss it when it’s your turn. I took the kids along and the visuals helped them to understand the new requirements too. “Juice boxes go in recycling!” they exclaimed after seeing the board. The whole family needs to know what to do.

The big decision you must make is the size of each of your carts either 96, 64, 48, or 32 gallons. You must pick both a brown recycling cart and a gray refuse cart. They’ll have lots of advice on which to choose. Even after you start using the cart, if you decide it is not the correct size, you can always switch.

With all the things that can now go in recycling, you may need to pick a bigger brown cart. We all have to carefully consider every item before placing it in the trash. Craig Simoneau, Director of Public Works, professes that our old garbage can has become “The Cart of Last Resort”. In our house, we’ve had to get used to having a plastic bag for all the plastic bags and wrappings. Remember to tie the top because loose bags will gum up the machines. I still find myself at the garbage can then remember that I need to recycle certain items, so review the list.

The absolute best part of the new recycling program is that you don’t have to sort anything. Just throw everything in the cart! Old hard and soft cover books can even be recycled if they aren’t good enough to donate to the library. Pizza boxes can go in even if they have that usual grease stain (however if the box is completely stained you should put in in refuse instead). You don’t need to worry about the numbers on any plastic items anymore. You can even keep the lids or screw tops on the bottles/jars because they will be crushed before they ever make it to the recycling plant. All the paper wrappings from your takeout can go in the cart too, as well as those healthy yogurt containers. If your aerosol can is empty throw it in. If you shred documents, put the shreds in a brown paper bag and roll it up before putting it in the cart.

Some plastic items cannot be recycled. A chemical in the plastic of “clam-shell” containers used for strawberries/blueberries and prepared chicken cannot be recycled and there is no market for this plastic. No automotive fluid or pesticide bottles, PVC piping, vinyl siding, Styrofoam, or water hoses can be put in recycling. These and other items still need to be put in the regular trash.

What about our old garbage cans and blue bins? Both can be recycled if you don’t have any other use for them. You’ll need to put a big sign on them that says “Recycle” As a matter of fact, if anything doesn’t fit in a cart then mark it “Recycle” especially if it is a large toy. One idea for the old garbage cans is to use them for yard waste.

Once we are all on the new system, Christmas trees will not be picked up during special weeks. Two new trucks will take trees (2ft. - 8 ft. tall) and large limbs every week of the year. We don’t have to bundle twigs and branches anymore either, just pile them up as high as you would like at the curb. Since the new trucks have a large arm, please consider where you place the pile so that the arm will be clear of any overhead branches or wires.

You’ll have to wheel the carts out to your curb or alleyway once-per-week with the bar for the truck facing the street and the wheels touching the curb. If you are physically unable to take your carts to the curb, you can apply for the free “Backdoor Service” by filling out a form. Also, certain townhome communities will receive an exemption from the carts.

Personally, I can’t wait to get my new carts!

If you are in Phase I, the last opportunity to attend a Public Works session to pick your cart size is this Saturday, October 4th at the F. Scott Fizgerald Theatre from 9 AM – 1 PM.

Wait! Don't Put That In Your Garbage Can!

As we talked about on >Rockville Central Radio last Friday, you need to change the way you think about plastics in your garbage. The City of Rockville expanded the curbside recycling program to include many new plastic items. Take a few minutes to make sure you aren’t adding to the landfills and costing the City tipping fees in order to haul these items way.

Effective immediately, here’s the list of new items we can recycle:

Wide-mouth containers:
peanut butter jars
yogurt containers
margarine/butter tubs
prescription bottles.
Lids and caps do not need to be removed before recycling.

Rigid plastic items:
milk/soda crates
buckets with metal handles
laundry baskets
lawn furniture
coolers
flowerpots
drinking cups
toys
empty plastic garbage/recycling bins.

You can use old garbage cans for lawn waste. If you decide to get rid of your old plastic garbage cans/recycling bins put a sign on them indicating they are for recycling. It’s good to know that as we change over to carts, all our garbage cans can be recycled.

Plastic film:
grocery and newspaper bags
shrink-wrap from new packages
bubble wrap
You must put all this plastic film into a plastic bag. Single bags cannot be collected, so save them up until a plastic bag is full and then put it out on the curb.

These items should be placed into recycling containers along with all other recyclables, including cardboard and mixed paper.

Any recycling items that do not fit into your blue recycling bin should be placed next to the bin in paper bags. Large plastic items should be marked with the word “recycling” and placed next to the blue recycling bin or in the new brown recycling cart once you receive it.

Do NOT recycle vinyl siding, PVC pipe, paint containers and bottles containing hazardous materials.

If you need more information, visit the City’s Recycling page or call 240-314-8568 with questions. Rockville’s Channel 11 also did a video on the changes for the Cityline program.

Single Stream Recycling Has Started

Last week the City’s >Refuse and Recycling Program announced that effective immediately, Rockville residents (who are served by Rockville refuse service) do not have to sort recyclables. This means you don’t have to wait for your new wheeled cart in order to place your mixed paper and cardboard into the blue bin with the glass bottles, aluminum cans and plastic bottles. With this new contractor, Waste Management Recycle America, the City is expecting an estimated revenue of $235,000 in FY 2009 from recycling materials.

I thought “Yippee, no more bundling the newspapers and boxes with string!” However, when I called the City to clarify, they suggested that we still bundle our paper and cardboard to avoid it blowing out of the blue bins and creating litter, so we are not quite there yet. Make sure your recyclables are secure until your neighborhood is added to the new refuse program and you get your own wheeled carts with lids. Also, boxes still need to be flattened. If you can’t fit everything in your blue bin, they suggest paper bags.

I want my wheeled carts!

POTD: Pink Fashion

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While out on my run yesterday, I noticed this garbage can (or should I say wheeled cart) in Hungerford. For more than one reason, the word “fashion” in this scene reminded me of British pop star Lily Allen with her hair dyed pink at the Glamour Magazine awards last month.

I don’t think the sanitation workers wound up taking it, but the cart really was decked out for the day!

New Trash System To Begin

In general, I mean to be well shut of articles about >trash, how often to pick it up, in what, and what color the bins are. However, since the Mayor and Council have voted to adopt procedure changes that will affect every resident, I thought one, last article would be in order.

Rather than paraphrase, I am just posting the City’s press release below [UPDATED, the City reissued the release]:

The Mayor and Council voted to adopt weekly semi-automated refuse collection, reversing a twice-per-week collection decision made in July 2007 by the previous council. The Mayor and Council’s decision also abolished the Refuse and Recycling Commission previously established and directed the city manager to develop a plan to establish a task force to assist with the implementation of the new refuse and recycling program.

Neighborhoods that were part of the once-per-week pilot program will return to once-per-week collection beginning January 28, 2008. It is anticipated that Rockville neighborhoods will transition to the new program beginning in October 2008, in three-month phases; with full Citywide implementation over a 12-15 month period. Each phase will allow for education and outreach, refuse and recycling cart delivery, and follow-up.

A semi-automated system will employ mechanical lift arms mounted on trucks to hoist the refuse and recycling carts provided by the City. Knuckleboom trucks also will be used to assist in collecting bulk items that do not fit in refuse carts and tree branches. Carts will be provided in four sizes depending on residents needs for both refuse and recycling.

Recycling services also will be affected. Single stream recycling, already in effect by former pilot households, will be implemented. Single stream will allow residents to use one cart for all recyclable materials as opposed to sorting. “Single stream recycling will make it much easier for residents to prepare their recyclables for collection. Additionally, we anticipate residents will recycle more than they are currently,” said Craig Simoneau, Rockville’s Director of Public Works.

The fee for once-per-week refuse and recycling services is projected to remain $32.70 per month until fiscal year 2011; with an increase of $.05 per month effective fiscal year 2012.

On the question of refuse collection frequency, Mayor Hoffmann and Councilmembers Britton and Gajewski voted in favor of once-per-week service, with Councilmembers Marcuccio and Robbins voting against the motion.

The motion to abolish the Refuse and Recycling Commission was approved with Mayor Hoffmann and Councilmembers Britton and Gajewski voting in favor and Councilmembers Marcuccio and Robbins voting against the motion.

The city manager was directed to come back with a proposal to create a Refuse and Recycling Task Force with a timeframe of 12 months, subject to renewal. The vote for the motion was Mayor Hoffmann, Councilmembers Britton, Marcuccio and Robbins voting in favor of the motion and Councilmember Gajewski voting against the motion.

So there you have it. Trash is dead. Long live trash!

Praise, And Criticism, Where Due

[NOTE: This post is UPDATED. See below.]>

As one reader emailed me, channeling Monty Python: “the trash issue is dead, deceased, is no more and ceases to be . . . it is X-Trash!” Last night, at the Mayor and Council meeting, the leaders of Our Fair City took up the question of how often — and how — our trash would be picked up.

I will cut to the chase: After debate, the Mayor and Council voted to retain the trash collection decision from last term, but to reduce the frequency to once per week. (In other words, it will be semi-automated, single stream.)

The votes were: Mayor Hoffmann and Council Members Britton and Gajewski in favor; Council Members Marcuccio and Robbins opposed.

(In the interest of transparency, you should know I favor once-per-week pickup and always have. But, I do not care deeply about the issue.)

They also voted to do away with the standing Refuse and Recycling Commission, but to replace it with a time-limited task force which would exist for 12 months with the possibility of that term being renewed. Rockville Central contributor Mark Pierzchala, who was there, writes that “This was done in two votes. First for abolishing the commission, it was, I believe 3 to 1 to 1, to abolish with Gajewski, Britton, and Hoffman voting to abolish, Marcuccio against, and Robbins abstaining. As for replacing it with a Task Force, it was 4 to 1 in favor, with Gajewski voting no. By that point Marcuccio voted for the Task Force because the commission had just been abolished.”

There are citizens who are pleased with this outcome, as well as others who are not. This is no surprise. What is a pleasant surprise, however, is the civility and grace (between Council members) with which this decision was reached.

Gone were the fuming comments and smoldering looks between council members that characterized the previous trash-related meetings of the previous Mayor and Council. In their place, at least when it came to the debate at hand, was respect and thoughtfulness.

Rockville Central contributor Joe Jordan, who was hoping for a twice-weekly outcome, wrote in praise:

“I want to commend you [Mayor Hoffmann] for how you handled this evening’s meeting. While I obviously was on the side of the minority vote, your leadership and calm manner kept things civil and fair.”

Joe went on to say in his note:

“It should be noted how Councilwomen Marcuccio and Robbins comported themselves during the discussion periods. They each exhibited style and dignity in explaining how they would support what they knew would be a reversal to what they had voted for and approved earlier this year.”

Mark Pierzchala echoed these sentiments in a note to me:

“Even though there was heartfelt disagreement, everyone was nice about it. . . . [Marcuccio's and Robbins' vowing to] support the decision (they said this before the vote). . . was an example of the civility even though they both disagreed with the eventual decision.”

After a meeting like this, the real test is whether it is possible to move on and get back to business. Especially as it relates to folks who did not get the outcome they wanted: Can they live with it? In this case, I have some optimism — but just some. As Joe Jordan, who is president of the Newmark Commons Home Owners Association, wrote in an email:

“Now that it is over, I will do what I can to support the new system and help get buy-in from the residents of New Mark Commons. We were early in expressing our concerns as to how the proposed system would present problems with the townhouse sections of the community. Craig [Simoneau] and Scott [Ullery] did promise they would consider our concerns, and Scott did a walk through months ago, and agreed we had legitimate issues. I am now confident we can work out a solution that will be a win-win for the city and for New Mark.”

Why just “some” optimism, given this? Because the civility that was extended between Council members was not universally extended to the citizens attending the meeting. Rockville Central contributor Rich Gottfried, who made a number of fiscal suggestions and spoke against once-weekly pickup at the Citizen’s Forum that kicked off the Mayor and Council meeting [UPDATE: he didn't speak against once-weekly pickup, he spoke in favor of more study -- my mistake], was subject to a critical response to his statement that (in my opinion) is ill befitting an official meeting. After his presentation, Council Member Gajewski told him he was unfairly criticizing staff, made a joke about how the usually fiscally conservative Gottfried was seemingly suggesting the City spend more money, and went on to point out that Gottfried (who ran as a candidate for City Council) finished well behind others who also were not successful, and that (according to my notes from watching the video) “Your views have been heard . . . and found wanting”. The tone was that of a candidate in a debate, taking a jab at an opponent.

[UPDATE: An earlier version characterized the comment above as holding that minority views don't deserve a hearing. My apologies.]

This response has rightly (to my mind) generated emotions far disproportionate to its length, which was quite brief. City PAC Real Rockville’s incoming president, Judy Miller, said Gajewski’s comments were an “outrageous . . . show of intemperance. . . . Citizens cannot be subjected to such at citizens forum.”

Council Member Gajewski commented that, while “some may have found my comments uncivil, I did not think they were.”

Anyone who knows me knows I am highly sympathetic to how hard it is to be an elected officia
l, and that citizens by and large would do well to give officials a little more “room” when it comes to making decisions — room to be wrong, room to change minds, room for positions to evolve. I often disagree with positions Real Rockville takes, and I am skeptical of the suspicions many citizens seem to have of elected officials. Some have suggested that I am overly soft on people who are in office.

However, in this case, I am afraid I must side with those who are critical of this exchange. Citizens’ Forum is the time set aside by the Mayor and Council to hear the views of citizens — including perspectives with which they might not agree. It needs to be a safe space for citizens. Campaign time is over. It is telling that all other members simply chose to thank certain citizens for speaking up, even in cases where clearly there was disagreement over policy. It is equally telling that Mayor Hoffmann went out of her way to invite far more citizens to speak than had previously signed up. She bent over backwards, it seemed, to allow all a voice - including a number of former candidates.

In this space that should be safe, Richard Gottfried, a private citizen, did not deserve criticism from the dais for airing his views. And he most assuredly did not deserve ridicule.

[UPDATE: This is not the first time I have criticized officials for their treatment of citizens.]

(Images: CollegeRecruiter.com and Celine’s Original Graphics.)

Contributor Opinion: Joe Jordan On Trash

The following >contributor opinion is by Joseph Jordan:

At last week’s Mayor and Council meeting, newly elected Council Member Piotr Gajewski asked for the Refuse and Recycle (trash) issue to be put on tonight’s agenda, and instructed city staff to make new recommendations on once versus twice a week pickup. Reversal to reduction in service would have a severe impact on many Rockville communities and citizens. We are a city with many diverse neighborhoods and needs, not just newer developments, designed to accommodate modern refuse and recycle pickup methods.

Because the issue is on tonight’s agenda, a vote on staff recommendations will take place, and the outcome will almost certainly be for going to once a week service, and also to abandon the idea of an approved Refuse and Recycle Commission. This was to be a group of citizens that would weigh pros and cons of the approved semi-automated, twice a week service, and report back to the city with further recommendations.

Here is a quote of Mr. Gajewski from an article in last week’s Gazette… ”I think next week we will move to reverse course and instruct staff to move in the direction of once-a-week collection.”

If you care about this issue, you have an opportunity to be heard this evening.

Joseph Jordan, Newmark Commons

Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central. To submit your opinion for consideration, contact us.

Council To Examine Your Trash (long)

>Warning: Long post.

Anyone who was awake until the end of the most recent Mayor and Council meeting – or who reads the Gazette – knows that the City is set to reopen the “trash issue.” It probably ought not to come as a surprise, as trash was such a campaign issue that, for those in the region who do not live in Our Fair City, it became the one thing our city election was known for.

The issue has had the added benefit of generating low-hanging-fruit headlines that use the term “trash talk” (note to headline writers: retire that).

The last term saw the City institute a pilot program whereby trash was collected using automated trucks on a once-weekly basis. Most everyone who was a part of the pilot (Hungerford and Monument areas of town) liked it, though there is some dispute as to the validity of the surveys (some say the questions were leading). But, as the City was preparing to really make the shift from twice- to once-weekly pickups, a number of citizens came to the fore who were vocally opposed.

People in favor of once-a-week pickup say that frequency is more than adequate, that it will save money, and reduce pollution. Those opposed say that it is not at all clear how much, if any, money will be saved, that once-weekly pickup is not adequate and there will be garbage festering and overflowing, and that on holiday weeks people will have to wait two weeks for their pickup. (There may be other arguments, but those are the chief ones that have been raised. In the interest of transparency, my personal opinion is that once-per-week is sufficient for all, but I do not hold that opinion strongly.)

As many know, the previous Mayor and Council (taken as a group) did not exactly function well together. The trash issue became a flashpoint and exposed deep rifts and resentments among the members.

Eventually, near the end of the last term, the members were able to agree to 1) maintain twice-weekly pickup; and 2) create a commission (which has applicants but no appointed members) to study the issue.

A majority of the incoming Mayor and Council, though, is in favor of once-weekly pickup, and late at the December 10 meeting, it was requested that the issue be placed on the agenda for the next Council meeting, December 17.

So, for City-watchers, the next Mayor and Council meeting will be one to watch, as a partially new cast of characters take up this contentious issue and we will see if they are able to address it with the civility with which they ran their campaigns.

This issue prompted two candidates who did not make it in the last election, Rich Gottfried and Mark Pierzchala, to voice their own opinions to one another, an exchange they kindly shared with me. They each crystallize an important public voice so, with their permission, we are sharing the key elements of this exchange with you.

Rich Gottfried led it off:

Just when you thought it was safe to take your garbage out to your curb twice a week, the councilman who did not want to talk about the City’s refuse and recycle program during his campaign requested an update to the Council’s previous decision regarding trash service be brought back on December 17′s Mayor and Council Agenda. . . .

I guess the citizens of the City of Rockville were hoping and praying that this M&C would not be another two year discussion on the refuse and recycle program… that this Council would move ahead and discuss the numerous other more important issues facing the citizens of Rockville like the . . . many, many more TAXES and FEES!

What the new Mayor and Council should focus on and request the City Manager to do is: 1) re-prioritize the FY2009 Budget, amounting to approximately $106 million dollars, so the citizens of Rockville’s tax dollars are spent on improving, maintaining and purchasing the infrastructure needed in the water, sewer and storm water management fund areas, and 2) to streamline personnel and operating expenses which amount to in FY08 $50 million dollars. An approximately ten percent reduction in these areas could cover the needed expenditure for improving, maintaining and purchasing the infrastructure needed and no TAX and FEE would be needed! It is all a matter of choice and priorities.

But here they go again talking about $2 per month per year (which amounts to $24 per year) increase from citizens when Hundreds, Thousands, and Millions of other dollars are being requested from citizens pocketbooks.

And Mark Pierzchala weighed in:

I was at the meeting on Monday all the way to the bitter end. The trash issue was brought up at the very last minute during the agenda review. I and others were surprised it came up that way. I see in tonight’s Gazette that Piotr thinks trash decisions will be reversed on December 17.

Trash in Rockville is a symbolic issue that stands in for more than refuse and recycling alone. In the last Mayor and Council it also was symbolic of discord among the elected. To me it also symbolized insufficient analysis; mayor and Council weren’t even asking the right questions at times. While I agreed with Dorsey, Marcuccio, and Robbins that the refuse hearing was necessary, I believe that it was faulty in that the once-a-week option was taken off the table before the hearing. I don’t think we should be surprised that the issue has come back. I was expecting it to come back early next year.

While I agree with you that many of the taxes and fees you mention deserve much attention, and I’ll be part of that, the trash fee increase over the years will be larger than your email stated. Even if the increase is not large, it is still more than it should be because of the twice-a-week decision and going in the wrong direction.

Thank you to these Rockville citizens for speaking up, for sharing their views, and for remaining so agreeable.

POTD: The Leaf Guys

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You’ve already heard about my fascination with the City’s leaf program. And you’ve seen my huge leaf pile. These guys came and took it all away on Monday. Council, Mayor: I can live with whatever you do about trash, but please, don’t take my leaf guys away!

Leaf Time! Collection Begins 10/22

One of my favorite things about Rockville is . . . wait for it . . . >trash pickup. I think it’s because I used to live in a rural town in Maine where there was no trash pickup at all unless you hired a private person to do it. Most folks just took their trash to the town dump every Saturday. (On the up side, you would meet and get to talk to everyone and find out what was going on.)

Of the trash services that I love, the service I love most is leaf pickup. I have never lived anywhere that got rid of my leaves for me. I just have to get them to the curb! Growing up (in the midwest) I used to have to rake and bag, rake and bag.

But in Our Fair City, you just need to make a big pile of leaves, make sure there aren’t any big sticks hiding among them, and wait. The City comes around on a schedule and sucks them all up.

Here’s this year’s leaf pickup schedule, by area:

Area 1:
Oct 22-26
Nov 26-30

Area 2:
Oct 29-Nov 2
Dec 3-7

Area 3:
Nov 5-9
Dec 10-14

Area 4:
Nov 12-16
Dec 17-21

Area 5:
Nov 19-23
Dec 24-28

Here’s a map to find your region:

There are other options, if you are not feeling like you want to fill landfill. You can mulch or compost your leaves and feed your garden in the spring!

One last thing. On your leaf day, make sure your leaves are ready to go by 7am!

(Photo from the City of Deptford, NJ.)

Contributor Opinion: Joseph Jordan — City Should Provide Numbers On Trash

>I appreciate what Rockville Central is doing with the election campaign info, but one issue that needs illumination is the trash issue.

I attended the first three candidate forums and left each one annoyed with how the trash issue was being addressed and how three incumbents are themselves being trashed. We have heard everything, from having to buy twice as many trucks, to the new system costing $733,000 more than once-a-week pickup, to a “tax” of $100 a year being borne by people who don’t want twice a week. The latest “misprint” by the Washington Post has not helped the situation. (The article stated that Rockville residents pay $100 more per month for twice-a-week pickup over the cost of once-per-week. It should be $100 per year more for twice-a-week pickup, five years from now.)

Mayor Giammo and/or City staff owe the residents of Rockville a full explanation of exactly what the new refuse and recycle program is going to cost the city and what it will cost those who pay monthly fees for city trash services.

Many figures were thrown around during the contentious mayor and council meetings when the trash issue was in its prime. Council members asked for numbers they said they needed to make decisions; the mayor claimed all the figures were there; interested residents cherry-picked the facts that bolstered their point of view; five-year projections soon became current-year figures.

Meanwhile, candidates running for office are using trash as a key issue, and each has his or her own cost figures to make their argument. The city needs to publish a definitive set of cost estimates and let residents know what this switch to semi-automated is going to cost the city over the next five years, and what they can expect their bills to be five years from now, in today’s dollars.

Joseph Jordan
New Mark Commons

Note: Rockville Central runs occasional, edited opinion pieces by contributors. Their views are not necessarily those of Rockville Central, which takes no position on candidates. To submit your opinion for consideration, contact us.

Trash Petition

As many Rockville residents know full well, the collection of trash has been a Major Political Issue for months now. There are competing proposals for maintaining the current twice-per-week collection or shifting to a once-per-week system. The Council >recently chose to stick with twice-per-week. Some observers say the majority did this in response to a vocal minority who just don’t want change.

A group called “RockTrash.Org” has mounted a petition campaign in response. Rockville Living has joined in to help and is encouraging people to sign a petition stating that they prefer once-per-week pickup. More details are at their website.

As trash is inexplicably a political — and campaign — issue, Rockville Central will try its hardest to have no opinion on the issue.

Council To Consider Trash Monday 8/6

>It would be hard to be a Rockville resident and not know of the controversy currently roiling the erstwhile placid waters of Our Fair City. This subject stands to loom large as an election year issue and has topped the list of subjects Rockville Central readers want us to ask of the candidates in our series of campaign interviews.