Sanitation Study Discussion Continues
Rich Thomas of Thomas Sanitation listens during proposed changes to the way Oskaloosa collects it's garbage
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The sanitation study continues to be a hot-potato issue for the City of Oskaloosa. A Public Projects Committee meeting Monday afternoon again highlighted the many opinions on the subject.
Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock Jr. started the meeting off with a clarification from the meeting the previous week, “Reviewing the code a little more closely, sometimes it’s not the model of clarity, it is very clear in this circumstance. Recycling is required of our residents today. They have to have that service.”
Schrock pointed towards Oskaloosa City Code 8.12.140 and 8.12.170. “There’s no ands or buts about it, recycling is mandatory in Oskaloosa. I think it’s important to clear that up.”
The Oskaloosa City Code for 8.12.140 reads Licensed collectors are required to provide curbside collection of recyclables for each of their customers and to comply with the state mandated reduction in volume of solid waste disposed of at the sanitary land fill.
City code for 8.12.170 states, All solid wastes shall be collected from residential premises at least once per week. Recyclable materials shall be collected from residential premises at least semi-monthly. Schrock told those in attendance that “there are no grey areas there” in regards to the cities code over the collection of recyclable materials.
Rich Thomas and John Van Egmond, both local haulers, were aware of the ordinance. “Ever since I’ve been in business.” Van Egmond said of the ordinance. “You have to present your recycling plan when your applying for the city license.”
“I think he made an important point, he said there’s an option. There’s no option in the code.” Schrock said in about the way recyclables are currently collected.
Rich Thomas said they give people the option of using a drop box for their recyclable materials to help keep costs down to the customer.
Oskaloosa 1st Ward City Council Member Aaron Ver Steeg looked at it differently saying, “They’re giving me the option, if I don’t want to pay for the recycling, to do it myself.”
“But that’s not what this says,” was Schrock’s response.
At-Large Oskaloosa City Council Member Joe Caligiuri read the code differently, saying that the haulers offered the service, but that it was up to the individual if they wanted to use the service.
Ver Steeg said, “The way I read it Michael, it says you have to provide recycling, it doesn’t say you have to [recycle].”
At-Large Oskaloosa City Council Member Tom Walling said “that’s the way I read it too.”
“I think the point was to make recycling mandatory in Oskaloosa”, Schrock said in response to the other interpretation of the code, going on to say that there was no ‘opt out’ clause in the code in regard to recycling.
The idea of mandatory garbage pickup and recycling was discussed, and how that might be accomplished. Ideas proposed included separating the city into the wards and letting each individual hauler have a portion of town, to the single hauler system where a company would bid out for the right to collect waste in the city.
The council asked the representatives from 3 of the current haulers in town about things from size and weight of garbage containers to helping those unable to bring the trash to the curb for collection.
Van Egmond spoke at the end of the meeting, about the discussion that arose during the meeting, saying “As long as this is better for the citizens of Oskaloosa, whatever decisions you make, are better for the citizens of Oskaloosa, that’s a key thing. One of the things I’ve seen from the citizens of Oskaloosa, for me, they like it the way it is.”
In the end, after an hour of discussion, the group was no further in defining a plan to present to the full city council in regards to the sanitation study and future plans for garbage collection in Oskaloosa.
