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

DATE: TUESDAY, March 12, 1991                   TAG: 9103120122
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Cathryn McCue
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WEEKLY PICKUP SEEMS ON THE WAY

Meanwhile, the good old days of twice-a-week pickup appear, well, headed for the landfill.

According to the latest poll, the ratio of citizens who'd rather switch to weekly pickup than pay more to keep the trash trucks coming twice weekly is a whopping 7 to 1.

The change is proposed as part of Blacksburg's 1991-92 budget. Reducing the number of pickups would increase efficiency and keep a lid on collection costs for consumers - or, rather, disposers.

"Less miles per ton of trash," as Public Works Director Adele Schirmer put it.

Montgomery County is proposing an increase in landfill fees, from $15 to $26 per ton of garbage dumped in its landfill.

The town can't afford to foot the bill, yet it doesn't want to add another $4 to residents' bimonthly utility bills.

What to do? Cut down on the number of trips for the garbage truck in order to save money. And recycle, recycle, recycle.

Problem is, some households just can't help it - they make a lot of garbage. People with big families, or a lot of roommates, might have problems with weekly pickups - especially if they miss a week.

And especially if it's hot outside, if there are a lot of varmints in the neighborhood, and if they have smelly garbage.

A few tips on how to adjust to weekly pickup. This one comes from landfill Superintendent Tim McCoy: put it in a can. The plastic ones go for about $10 now. And they withstand the not-so-gentle handling by garbage collectors better than the metal ones do.

Or this, from Councilman Lewis Barnett: His wife stores the "perishable, odiferous" items, such as chicken skins, in t he freezer until the morning the garbage goes out to the curb.

And Councilwoman Joyce Lewis says it just might take some getting used to. Time was when the garbage men would fetch the trash from your backyard, and put the empty cans back.

"We were really spoiled," Lewis said. "Maybe we're spoiled with twice-a-week" collection.

Councilwoman Frances Parsons also recalls the heydays of backyard collection, when she and her husband were raising five children.

"Goodness, we could use big bags," she said.

Nowadays, it's just her and her daughter at the house, and after they recycle all they can, they're down to just one bag a week.

"I have mixed feelings," Parsons said. "I'd like the people to decide for themselves."

Schirmer said prorating the system could work. But collecting some people's trash once a week and others twice a week wouldn't save any money - unless all the twice-a-weekers lived in one corner of town.

"And that's highly unlikely," she said.

What about twice-a-month pickups?

Also not likely, even though the landfill fees are almost certainly going to rise over the years.

In the meantime, recycle, recycle, recycle.

And make room in your freezer.