Fed up with trash problems, Delran mayor asks county to consider collection service
Joseph P. SmithDELRAN TWP. − Township officials are holding their breath that the summer months won’t bring moments when they’re holding their nose because of ripening trash.
Delran is unhappy with the regularity of missed residential trash collection, which is not a new problem or one limited to the township. The waste management industry generally is tied in knots with worker shortages, inflation, and supply chain problems.
Mayor Gary Catrambone last week petitioned Burlington County government to consider organizing a shared services collection system. The mayor said he also spoke with county Board of Commissioners Director Daniel O’Connell on the topic and got a promise the idea would get reviewed.
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“And I don’t want to put them under pressure to solve our problem,” Catrambone said. “What I’ve done is just ask them, ’Could you consider it?’ Because they do the recycling program in cooperation with the OTC (Occupational Training Center). And they do a hell of a good job.”
A county spokesman acknowledged receiving the letter.
The township’s collection issues are with Republic Services. The mayor said residents lodge hundreds of complaint calls per week, and the company has been fined regularly.
On Thursday, Catrambone said that based on recent talks with officials of surrounding communities sentiment is cresting in Burlington County for an alternative trash collection system more answerable to member communities.
Republic Service was given a three-year contract worth nearly $2.57 million in September 2021. It was the only company to enter a bid last year with Delran, which also used the company the prior three years — although at a much lower cost.
The mayor noted neighboring Willingboro also has Republic Services under contract. And it, too, has been and publicly vocal with complaints about collection breakdowns, he said.
“And this has just grown organically,” Catrambone said. “You know, it’s like, ‘We have to do something. We can’t just put up with this.’ Especially now, in the summer, because trash doesn’t stay well if it’s sitting out for days and days.”
Catrambone said his own trash went to the sidewalk on Thursday, for Friday pickup. But if the truck does not come as scheduled, he wonders if the kart still will be sitting out until after the 4th of July.
“So, (for) myself and my neighbors, it’s certainly not the end of the world, but it’s a holiday,” Catrambone said. “So, we’re going to have all those trash cans out, and neighbors having parties and that sort of thing. I don’t want to trivialize it.”
Sights and smells aside, the mayor said the issue really is concern about public health impacts.
“Short term, we could deal with it,” he said. “But if this is the way it’s going to go all summer long, then we have to start planning for a solution.”
In September 2021, after awarding Republic Services a new contract, the township messaged residents that it was looking at an alternative collection approach that would be cheaper and more controllable. An in-house system through the Public Works department was put forth as a possibility.
If a county approach is ruled out, Catrambone said he would be open to a shared service agreement with other municipalities.
“That’s what we’ve been doing today, reaching out to the other towns and saying, ‘If this were a possibility, would you be interested in doing this when your contract runs out?’” he said. “And overwhelmingly, people are saying, ‘Yeah. We would.’”
Catrambone declined to say what communities were interested, saying he wanted to leave that disclosure to them.