By PAUL KIRBY
Freeman staff
pkirby@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/PaulAtFreeman

KINGSTON, N.Y. — City lawmakers Tuesday authorized borrowing $575,000 to purchase two automated trash and recycling trucks in an ongoing effort to make curbside collection more efficient.

Additionally, the Common Council authorized borrowing $226,000 to purchase more recycling containers for city residents and another $200,000 to repair a sinkhole at Washington and Linderman avenues.

The council voted 8-0 in favor of the borrowing. Alderwoman Shirley Whitlock, D-Ward 4, was absent.

The council’s Finance/Economic Development Committee had already endorsed the truck purchase.

City Public Works Superintendent Michael Schupp has said that signaled a commitment by city leaders to stick with single-stream recycling efforts and keep trash and recycling collections in municipal hands.

In the past, there have been suggestions that the collections be turned over to a private-sector hauler.

The automated garbage trucks can pick up recycling containers and not-yet-purchased garbage containers with a mechanical arm.

Schupp and Steve Noble, the city’s environmental educator, have said the trucks would be more efficient because less  manpower would be used to pick up recycling containers and garbage, freeing employees for other projects.

The  trucks are not likely to be delivered to the city until sometime in the middle of 2013. The 3,000 more recycling containers are not likely to make it to households until the end of 2013.

Eventually, the city hopes to garbage containers on wheels, but it is likely that residents will have to buy them. The garbage containers are expected to cost about $50 each, but that amount could be less depending on the size of the containers the city orders. Continued...

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Schupp has said that the city would save on waste disposal fees with new garbage containers because water would not get inside and add weight to the refuse.

 

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