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Ocean City Residents May Be Able To Use Larger Trash Cans
The city will consider spending an additional $225k so a trash contractor will collect larger cans through October
Kyle Scott
June 12, 2024
Stinky trash talk has been the topic du jour since a May announcement from the city informed residents that large 96-gallon trash and recycling cans would no longer be picked up by the city’s trash vendor, who cited an uptick in use of the larger cans.
The contract, with Pineland Construction LLC out of Sea Isle, mandates the pickup of cans only up to 32 gallons in size.
So, things will come to a head (sort of) at the Ocean City City Council meeting on Thursday when officials will consider Resolutions 10 and 11 to increase the fee it pays to Pineland by $225k so that they collect cans… up to 64 gallons in size through October.
Not mentioned: the 96-gallon cans so many residents use.
In his update last week, Mayor Gillian said:
“Please know that we are in the process of working with our contractor to make sure that trash and recycling pickup remains reliable, convenient and uninterrupted. We will provide updates if there are any further changes. The twice-weekly pickup begins tomorrow (Saturday, June 8), and more information on the summer schedule is available here. More information on trash and recycling is available at ocnj.us/trash-and-recycle-faq.”
Currently, based on the numbers provided in the resolutions, the city pays $1,136,375 annually each for trash and recycling pickup to Pineland, for a total of $2,272,750 per year. If approved, the new resolutions - $112,500 each for trash and recycling - would bring that combined cost up to $2,497,750.
What isn’t clear ahead of the meeting is how that additional $225k would enable the trash collectors to increase their capabilities from 32 to 64 gallon cans, or what is to be done with 96-gallon cans.
Pineland’s agreement with the city has always been to collect up to 32 gallon cans, but apparently it wasn’t enforced strictly. Larger cans, up to 96 gallons, are meant for trucks with mechanical arms, which Pineland doesn't use.
In 2022, when the city switched to Pineland from Gold Medal, it considered buying 96-gallon cans for every house in the city, but it would have cost upwards of $2 million. It was reported that switching to Pineland would save the city about $300k per year at the time. However, that number has inched upward, and with the proposed increase… well, you can do that math.
We’ll update you after the meeting on Thursday.
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