While I am quite sensitive to the plight of the homeowners in Red Bank having problems with the garbage collection issue, I feel that there were some inaccuracies in the story in The Hub on page 12 of the Jan. 18 edition.
To begin with, the fact that you pictured our store, Earth Spirit New Age Center, with a whole lot of garbage in front of it was a very misleading image.
It should be taken into consideration that there are eight apartments over top our store that also dump their daily garbage in front of our store for collection the next day. That is a whole lot of garbage.
When you consider that we perhaps put out one bag every two days and that we try to be as environmentally conscious as possible, you might begin to understand the source of my irritation.
It should also be pointed out that most of the businesses in the shopping district often have multiple apartments above them as we do, and all of the residents of these apartments may put their trash out every night in front of the street level businesses as well.
This could lead someone, who is not paying attention, to come to the conclusion that the garbage lining the streets is strictly from the businesses where the truth is that much of it is the refuse of residents of the town.
Has the town taken this issue into consideration in their plans to turn over the responsibility of garbage collection to us, the small business owners of Red Bank?
Are the residents of these apartments also to pay for their garbage pickup?
If they are not, will they be allowed to have their garbage picked up by any services that we, the business owners provide, and how would we be able to prevent that from happening, if they are not paying us to use our service?
This issue opens a can of worms that concerns us and should concern everyone.
I think I speak for everyone when I say that we understand that we have to pay our fair share, but who will be deciding what that fair share is?
Christopher Midose
Earth Spirit New Age Center
Red Bank