UPPER MOUNT BETHEL TWP., Pa. — A 66% increase in the cost of trash collection services that also ends discounts for seniors has residents complaining in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
But the township manager said only one trash collection company bid to offer the township services, and the changes are fair and comparable to neighboring municipalities.
- Upper Mount Bethel Township recently increased its trash collection prices 66% and did away with senior discounts
- Residents on a Facebook group called Slate Belt Chatter are upset with the changes
- Township Manager Ed Nelson said he understands the concerns, but prices now are closer to neighboring towns, and eliminating the seniors discount was done in the interest of fairness
"They are so pleased to inform us that they are charging way more and taking way less," one person wrote on the Facebook group Slate Belt Chatter. "Outrageous."
That commenter said his bill for garbage collection rose from $297 a year to $492.25, with an extra charge for each additional can.
Residents on the Facebook group also say the quality of service is inferior to what it was before.
No more senior discounts
Other people in the group took issue with the fact that there is no longer a senior's discount for the service.
Township Manager Ed Nelson said he understands the concerns.
"I mean, it's understandable," Nelson said. He said he's gotten lots of phone calls about the issue.
"The supervisor did not feel that it was fair to have one neighbor be charged $300, where the next neighbor having to pay $600, because the one neighbor is just living by themselves, and the next neighbor has three or four kids, and they have to pay an extra couple hundred dollars."Upper Mount Bethel Township Manager Ed Nelson
"We have a lot of seniors in this town."
Nelson said that when the township awarded a new contract this year, it decided to do away with senior's discounts, citing fairness.
"The supervisors did not feel that it was fair to have one neighbor be charged $300, where the next neighbor [is] having to pay $600, because the one neighbor is just living by themselves, and the next neighbor has three or four kids, and they have to pay an extra couple hundred dollars," he said.
"We felt as though we put a flat fee on it, everybody pays the same, the contract's up in three years, and hopefully in between, I can come up with some creative ideas as to how we can reduce that going forward."
New contract
Nelson said the company previously responsible for the township's waste collection, Advanced Disposal, was acquired by Waste Management Solutions, a multi-national waste collection company headquartered in Texas.
Advanced Disposal's contract with the township ended this year, so the township was required to accept bids for a new provider.
"We really didn't do too bad for the number, in comparison to the other communities."Upper Mount Bethel Township Manager Ed Nelson
However, the only company that submitted a bid was Waste Management Solutions — the new parent company of the previous provider, Nelson said.
Nelson said the price increase put trash collection bills closer to what residents of surrounding municipalities pay.
"Well, now that the bid that we got was $485 [per household] and I would like to compare that a little bit with some of our neighboring communities," Nelson said.
"I believe Bangor is at $585, Washington Township is at $505, Roseto is above five [hundred dollars] but I don't know their exact number," he said. "So we really didn't do too bad for the number, in comparison to the other communities."
Nelson also said there was a clause in the new billing statements that did not make clear enough that a $7 one-time fee for the new fee-collecting software was not a recurring charge, confusing some residents.
He said the new billing program was implemented to allow for smaller, more frequent payments for residents who could not afford a lump-sum charge with the new price increase.
Growing pains
On Facebook, some residents complained about garbage trucks not coming often enough, or when they're scheduled.
"Every day, we're meeting with Waste Management. Every day."Upper Mount Bethel Township Manager Ed Nelson
Nelson responded that because the contractor is new to the township, it is naturally going to take some time for things to be running smoothly and predictably.
"Every day, we're meeting with Waste Management. Every day," Nelson said. "We meet with them and talk about what needs to be changed and improved, and then we identify things we didn't collect.
"We go back and do that, and we move on."
Nelson said he forecasts a noticeable improvement in the service within the next six weeks.
"We should be pretty efficient at what we're doing by then," he said.
