MY THOUGHTS ON GARBAGE PICKUP

There has been a considerable amount of discussion this past week over the suggestion I made last week to look into the possible weighing of garbage and charging residents per pound. This debate began when one of our aldermen brought up the issue of people putting items which should not be in the garbage, such as yard waste and recyclables. Let me be very clear on a couple of points:

* I am not advocating or endorsing any plan at this point to charge people per pound of garbage they generate. I have simply asked that we explore the possibilities. The technology appears to be there, so I do not see any harm in investigating all possible options when we purchase a new garbage truck in the next two years.

* The issue has been brought up of residents putting their garbage in their neighbor's garbage cans. I am sure this could, and would, happen. I would also argue that someone could get their water from their neighbor's faucet to water their gardens or yards when their neighbor is gone or at work. IF we ever went to a per-pound charge system, we would certainly have to look at a penalty system to discourage such behavior

* There has been some concern over a possible accounting nightmare if we went to a per-pound system. I am not convinced this is a major issue, since we already charge people for water and sewage usage, and the system seems to be working with very few flaws.

* I have heard that the town of Ripon is concerned that city residents may dump their garbage in the township. I have a hard time buying into this argument, and I would be equally concerned with a town resident bringing their trash into the city, but I don't lose sleep over it.

* Our current system of charging for garbage is unfair, I believe. We charge a resident based on the value of their property. With a large increase in the state tipping fee coming, if the current proposed state budget passes, the system will continue to be skewed against those in higher-value homes, regardless of the amount of garbage generated.

The bottom line is that I have asked that we INVESTIGATE the possibility of charging per garbage generated. Let's look at the facts before dismissing the issue. Also, share your ideas and thoughts on the issue, including possible ways to encourage more recycling, which will keep our overall costs down.