Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, March 1, 1991                   TAG: 9103010503
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE/ NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

TOWNS SEEKS TRASH PICKUP OPINIONS

Or would you gladly pay more to keep the trash-man coming twice a week to pick up your Glad bags full of trash?

Town officials want to know. Give the town manager a call at 961-1130. Or call the Public Works Department at 961-1126.

At a work session this week on the 1991-92 budget, Town Council considered reducing trash pickup for single-family residences from twice to once a week.

The move was recommended by Town Manager Ron Secrist to keep the collection rates stable. But some people have already called town hall to complain.

Some households generate more garbage than others and may end up with a large pile at the end of a week, Secrist said. That could create problems if a trash day is missed, especially if it's during summer - and hot.

"Within my own home, I've been hearing it's a dumb idea," said Secrist, who is married and has two sons.

But Secrist said he's trying to keep a lid on costs passed on to town residents, which is getting tougher all the time. The town's budget is getting hit from all sides - decreased state funding, flat revenues from consumer-based taxes, and spiraling costs for many services.

One of those is solid-waste disposal. Last year, Montgomery County imposed a $15-per-ton fee for trash dumped at its landfill.

Further, Blacksburg initiated a curbside recycling program, partly to meet the state mandates for recycling.

To pay for both of these, Blacksburg raised bimonthly garbage collection bills from $10.22 to $16.96.

This year the county is proposing raising the landfill fee to $26, which would mean an additional $4 every other month for town customers.

Secrist told council at the work session that he anticipates the county's landfill fee will continue to rise and that dropping back to once-a-week pickup will hold the cost steady, at least for this year.

"I think they ought to give it a try. They don't know whether they like it or not," Mayor Roger Hedgepeth said.

A survey sent out in the town's newsletter showed that about 58 percent of the residents who responded favor reduced pickup. But, only 444 of 3,910 randomly selected citizens responded.

Council agreed that they wanted to hear from more - many more - residents before deciding what to do.

Secrist said he's been looking at programs from other communities around the country that charge for garbage collection based on volume. For now, however, the task is too complex and expensive for Blacksburg to implement, he said.

The town's recycling program has reduced the amount of household refuse by an estimated 15 percent - another reason once-a-week pick up makes sense, Secrist said. Also, the town is working closely with several apartment complexes to start recycling. About 14,000 people, almost half the town's population, live in large apartment complexes.