What’s in an asterisk? | This agenda item for tonight’s council work session meeting contains an unexplained asterisk? “Discussion of Single Trash Hauler (Ordinance)*”
Reasons why | municipalities elect for single trash haulers might include:
- Improve service and reduce costs to the majority of residents
- Increase recycling by offering single-stream (no sorting) recycling to
all residents. - Reduce the impact of heavy trucks on local roads. Wear and tear on
the roads is a major expense to all taxpayers. One trip by a doubleaxle waste hauling truck is equivalent to the wear and tear of 1,000
cars on a road. - Improve quality of life in our neighborhoods and throughout the municipality
by reducing truck noise and pollution, and increase safety on streets
by reducing truck traffic. - Because trash would only be visible on individual streets one day per
week – rather than 5 days per week as we have now – the entire municipality
would look more appealing to potential businesses and residents.
In Landsdale | Several years ago, the borough asked for resident feedback. – Lansdale Reporter
In this town | The “Council ends single-hauler trash contract pursuit” – Paradise Valley Independent
Nothing yet | Columbia’s “Board of Education meets on the third Thursday of every month for regular Board Meetings and the first Thursday of the month for a Committee of the Whole. There is no agenda posted at this time for Thursday’s meeting.
How to put on a parade | China’s President Xi has what the DIC wants: if you want to see a parade, Click on the graphic below to watch the nearly three hour 70th Anniversary event in Beijing. See one aspect of why the top former US SEAL said, “China’s massive military buildup is a ‘holy sh*t’ moment.”
They don’t listen | This letter-to-the-editor is in today’s LNP – Always Lancaster:
An independent who’s voting blue | “Over several days, I called the office of Sen. Pat Toomey in Allentown to express my opinions. As a registered independent and a military veteran, I was under the misinterpretation that my thoughts would be respectfully received by the senator’s office. Boy, was I wrong! Twice now his staff has hung up the phone on me. They had no reason to as I was not swearing or being disrespectful. Are they just being overwhelmed with negative input?
“Makes me wonder if the senator is getting a little touchy about the positions he espouses for the dictator — or better put, the emperor in the White House who has no clothes.
“Unfortunately, the Republican Party no longer exists. We are now faced with the Party of tRump. Guess who is voting blue!” – Joe Oestreich, Caernarvon Township
On the November ballot | The Pennsylvania Marsy’s Law Crime Victims Rights Amendment – BallotPedia
Brand expansion | Nikolaus & Hohenadel legal notice – Lancaster Online
Just posted | from the Columbia Borough School District live feed: “PARENTS of students thinking about continuing education after high school – TONIGHT – October 1, 2019 – 6:30 PM – Columbia High School FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) Information Night. Learn about everything that you need to know to prepare for and complete the FAFSA.”
Columbia news, views & reviews 
I like my trash hauler do not want.to be told who I must use
Want to.keep.the trash.hauler i.have now
Then you may want to come to tonight’s council meeting. The agenda item is a real surprise; to our recollection , it’s not been discussed before in “open” meetings.
Single Trash Hauler = Crony Capitalism…
Why do I say that?
What is the transparency and equality of the bidding process?
Kinda like the whole Knox Box fiasco.
(oops… did I say that?)
You did, and we think plenty of others are thinking it too.
So curious how these agenda items just pop up out of nowhere. Kinda’ like a zit. Was not there yesterday yet today it is.
There are three ways to deal with trash
1. private competition
2. a single approved hauler
3. a government operated system
Theoretically,
1. multiple private companies lower cost due increased competition but lead to higher operating cost due to lack of scale
2. A single private hauler may lower prices because of increased volume but may not pass the savings on because there is no competition
3. A government operated system should be the lowest cost because it doesn’t need to operate in the black but lack of fiscal restraint and union contracts impose higher cost
Pick your poison. A government system is the most efficient but likely the most expensive. A single hauler would also be efficient and most likely the lowest cost but impossible to implement without corruption or the perception of unfair competition. Multiple private haulers lead to the mess we see in Columbia but provide private individuals with the best service it is, however, certainly the most environmentally destructive.