Trash pickup vote postponed to Aug. 4

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

A decision to return Key West to twice a week trash pickup, an issue that is polarizing residents, was postponed by Key West City Commissioners at their July 7 meeting.

The commission was set to vote on a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Tony Yaniz to return the city to twice a week trash collection. For the past two years, residents have had their garbage picked up once a week as a way to encourage recycling. At the same time, the city replaced 18-gallon blue recycle bins with a 65-gallon model. Those two actions resulted in a jump in residential recycling rates from seven percent to approximately 22 percent in the following three weeks in 2013. That rate increased to 26 percent in 2014. But state law mandates that Florida municipalities must achieve a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020.

Yaniz said the reason behind his resolution is that many of his constituents in District IV have complained to him.

“The garbage cans in my district have no recycling in them but they have a lot of stink and a lot of maggots,” he said. “My district wants twice a week pickup.”

However, several residents are against the return to twice a week collection. On Yaniz’s Facebook page, a post on his intention to ask for the once a week change has pulled in 84 comments arguing both sides of the equation.

“If we spend the money on compost education initiatives instead of a second day of trash pickups, we would be doing what’s best for our community, our environment and our future,” wrote Ashley Maxine Kamen.

“Once a week is enough but we have to enforce the recycling or educate people more about it. In my neighborhood there are so many flies just before pick up because people are not handling their trash properly,” wrote Babs Wade.

“No way is once a week enough,” argued Tony Gerich. “The average family cannot do it.”

The estimated extra cost of doubling the weekly pickup service is $3 a month per household, for a total of approximately $496,000 a year. Waste Management is the company providing trash, lawn waste and recycling pickup in Key West.

Several other people wrote to the commission and urged that Yaniz’s proposal be rejected.

“This regressive proposal would bring additional traffic, noise, and expense to all your voters, for the benefit of a few who refuse to take personal responsibility for the quantity of waste that they create,” said Arlo Haskell.

“The resolution to go back to twice a week trash service would be going back to the bad old days at great unnecessary expense to taxpayers. Those of us who are happy with the current service should not be forced to subsidize others’ unwillingness to reduce their need for additional trash pickup,” wrote Jody Smith Williams.

The resolution has been postponed until the Aug. 4 city commission meeting.

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