Has your municipal trash collector been letting you down lately?
You can’t throw a stick online without it hitting someone complaining about the garbage companies being behind schedule. It started back in the Spring but throughout the summer, trash collection in Schuylkill County has been inconsistent, at best.
First instinct, based on the complaints we’ve seen and heard is to blame the trash company. OK, they definitely deserve some of the blame. But they’re definitely not alone.
Let’s take a look at all those to blame for the inconsistent trash pickup here in Schuylkill County this summer.
Joe Biden
One of the problems the trash companies are having is lack of employees. The trucks only haul the trash. They don’t pick it up. You need people to do that.
And frankly, if you’re going to get paid more to sit home rather than go to work, you’d have to be foolish to go to work. One of the main faults of people is that they’re human. And it’s very human to want more money.
Pandemic unemployment benefits need to come to an end. People need to get back to work like it’s 2019. Period.
Schuylkill County Commissioners
Many municipalities in Schuylkill County were placed in a pressure situation earlier this year to pick a garbage hauler that offered curbside recycling. Some already did but many didn’t.
This happened after the County stopped its recycling program which had several drop-off locations in the area which the County would come collect.
That led to a lot of rushed negotiations between municipalities and trash haulers.
So, it was one thing to stop the countywide recycling drop-off program. But how or why that led to mandating that municipalities offer curbside recycling is still a mystery.
Sure, curbside recycling is a good thing. It’s common sense and environmentally smart.
However, at a time when businesses were in serious limbo and workers were being encouraged to stay home, why would you do this now?
Garbage Haulers
Simple rule applies to business as it does life: Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
No one put a gun to the head of any of these trash haulers to secure a lucrative government contract. And no one definitely put a gun to their head to secure multiple government contracts.
The haulers should have expected a very competitive job market, meaning it would be difficult to find enough help to complete their obligations.
They need to figure this situation out quickly. Hopefully, an end to pandemic unemployment benefits will get workers back where they belong, at work.
Who’s most to blame?
As much as we want to blame Biden for this mess, and that’s true overall … the most blame belongs on the Schuylkill County Commissioners, who placed an unfunded unnatural mandate on communities in Schuylkill County to offer curbside recycling when it wasn’t feasible to do so.
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PTFloridians
August 14, 2021 at 7:25 pm
Recycling is great and all, but practical and cost-effective, it’s not.
Many times the recycled bin goes in the truck with the trash, and many, if not all businesses and housing communities are not required to recycle, and do not. So all in all, it doesn’t work and it’s cost effectiveness is very poor…the overall loss of money, County and Statewide, is staggering.
…on a side note, it’s simply an effort in futility that allows many people in elected or appointed positions to appropriate a lot of money, for the sake of “getting lost”
…yep, Biden’s fault…him and his ilk.
Canary Commenter
August 14, 2021 at 8:37 pm
They’ve collected recycling in a separate truck exactly 2 times since the new contract. Once on their maiden trip through town. Once after a lot of people complained (the same time they showed up between 3-5 days late for regular trash).
Ken Heller
August 18, 2021 at 8:54 pm
All the neighboring counties have recycling It’s not a for profit entity. It’s a for the earth entity! The state wastes so much money on pet projects and ridiculous mandates that produce nothing but political largesse. A mandate for recycling should be atop every government list. The counties are stumbling over both left feet trying to spend all the covid surplus money. They should restart recycling programs before they figure out how to steal for themselves!