HOPE — Mandatory trash pickup will begin this fall for all 2,100 residents of the town of Hope.
CGS Services of Morristown has been hired to begin providing the service by mid- November, although townwide trash pickup could start earlier if all details can be ironed out, Hope Town Manager J.T. Doane said.
That includes ordering, receiving and distributing trash toters, as well as completing billing programming at the Hope Utility office, said Doane, who added that residents would be notified about details and the implementation time frame.
Under the three-year-contract approved 4-1 by the Hope Town Council, the monthly cost for each resident will be $7.55 for the first year. During the second year, the price goes up to $7.78 a month, and caps off at $8.01 for the third and final year.
In addition, the town of Hope will add $1 each month to cover administrative costs, under the contract approved by the council Aug. 15.
Two other companies — Rumpke Waste Inc. of Columbus and Best Way Disposal of Greensburg — also submitted bids on the contract, but their rates were higher than what CGS proposed.
The trash charge will appear on the monthly water and sewage bills sent out by Hope Utilities, the council decided last spring.
Although the cost is substantially less than what 56 percent of Hope residents have been paying for private trash pickup, Doane estimates that 44 percent of all residents don’t pay any fees because they dispose of their own refuse.
Nellie Meek, a first-year member of the town council, was the sole person to vote against mandatory trash pickup.
“So many people cannot afford this, many do not need it, and some don’t even have one full bag of trash per week,” Meek said. “We have many citizens who physically cannot pull the container to the curb.”
But other council members say the lack of mandatory trash pickup has created a health hazard. It has created an influx of raccoons, possums and skunks into Hope to eat uncollected garbage, council president Clyde Compton said.
Mandatory trash pickup is one of several steps that have been taken to clean up the northeast Bartholomew County community.
In March, the council approved an ordinance that requires the removal of unsightly trash, debris and unwholesome substances that people are maintaining on their property.
Other ordinances regulate posted signage for businesses and yard sales placed on utility poles.
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The contract between the town of Hope and CGS Services of Morristown allows for the pickup of one bulk item per month on regular residential service day.
A bulk item is defined as something that cannot fit properly in to a trash bag or exceeds 50 pounds in weight.
That includes chairs, recliners, couches (no sleeper beds couches), washers, dryers, dishwasher, ranges and stoves,
Mattresses that are queen-size or smaller will be accepted, but must be wrapped in plastic and sealed with duck tape.
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