Spotswood seeks a fair system of waste removal

Spotswood seeks a fair
system of waste removal


BRIAN PIECH  Residents of condominiums on Main Street rely on these trash bins to keep their community sanitary. BRIAN PIECH Residents of condominiums on Main Street rely on these trash bins to keep their community sanitary.

SPOTSWOOD — The Borough Council has voted unanimously to support a proposed settlement of the apartment trash-removal issue.

Council members, at the Dec. 18 meeting, said the proposal will provide waste removal that is both adequate and fair to the taxpayers.

The settlement will be offered to the owners of local apartment complexes.

Under the ruling of the state Supreme Court in the matter of WHS Realty Co. v. Morristown, each community must provide the same trash collection for all residents. Previously, apartment complexes were considered commercial buildings and were thus responsible for their own waste removal.

This caused a conflict because the waste from Spotswood apartments must be removed twice a week as opposed to the once-a-week service provided to single-family residences. The council feared that the trash bins used by the apartments could otherwise provide an unsanitary breeding ground for rats.

Under the proposed agreement negotiated by Spotswood Business Administrator Wayne Hamilton with the apartment owners, the borough would reimburse the residents for 50 percent of their waste-removal costs as well as remove bulk items.

The agreement will be presented to the apartments’ owners for signing. "They (the apartment owners) seemed amenable to the agreement; we’ll see if they’ll be willing to sign it," said Hamilton.

— Brian Piech