By Anne Levin

Since Princeton Council approved a new solid waste management program earlier this year, most residents of the 7,500 households served by the program have adjusted to the new trash collection system.

But according to the town’s Assistant Municipal Engineer Jim Purcell, there is a small percentage of people who complain that the 64-gallon cart provided by the town is not big enough. And they shouldn’t have to pay the annual fee the town requires for a second receptable, they feel, instead of using their old carts.

It is those residents that Purcell targeted with an article he wrote prior to July 4, anticipating that those hosting barbecues and other celebrations on the holiday, and throughout the summer, might generate more trash than usual.

Writing in the voice of those residents, he wrote: “What will I do with all that trash after I hosted my party of the fourth? Princeton has made it really hard to get rid of any trash that doesn’t fit in the municipal 64-gallon cart, and I can’t use any others. Yeah, I know they will let us have a second one, but they charge an annual fee and I don’t think I should pay for that. Why can’t the municipality simply pick up all the trash I put out on the street?”

The change was made to address rising costs and reduce the town’s environmental impact, Purcell explains in the article, noting that the town has seen a 14 percent reduction in waste disposal since the program began four months ago. He also offers tips for generating less trash during the holiday — reusable plates, cups, and flatware instead of paper and plastic; providing containers for guests to take leftovers; composting; and asking a neighbor to dispose trash in their cart if there is room.

“The biggest frustration we’ve had [since the program began] is that we get calls all the time from people who feel that we need to take care of their excess trash,” Purcell said in a phone conversation last week. “They feel that the new regulations we put in place, providing them with one 64-gallon can, just isn’t enough. And because they pay taxes, charging them an additional fee is just not acceptable.”

The cans provided to residents allow the hauler to choose to use automated equipment for trash collection in much of Princeton. Automated collections typically require less labor and result in fewer injuries to workers.

Purcell wants residents unhappy with the system to know that the cost of solid waste management is “very, very high,” he said. “It is made up of two things: the collection contract and the cost of disposal, or tipping fee, that we pay to the Mercer County Improvement Association. People don’t understand the impact that the budget line item has on everyone’s taxes. We’re trying to save everybody taxes and keep increases to a minimum.”

The annual fee of $150 for a 32-gallon cart or $300 for a second, 64-gallon cart was implemented because “it is unfair for families that generate more than average trash to expect the rest of the community to pay for their excess trash,” Purcell said. “That’s why we charge the fee. And there is a ton of data on how we determined what that method was.”

In the article, Purcell reminds residents that trash pickup that falls on a holiday is scheduled for pickup the following day. On occasion, the hauler might not get to pick up everyone’s trash until the day after that. Residents should leave that trash at the curb, and report it to the town if it hasn’t been collected two days after the holiday with the following information: name, address, email address, phone number, date of the scheduled collection, time left at the curb, and number of containers at the curb.

“Municipal trash collection programs are governed by state law,” Purcell said. “Contracting with a trash hauler requires preparing detailed big specifications using the state’s Uniform Bid Specification, soliciting and receiving bids, analyzing those bids, and then awarding the contract to the lowest acceptable bidder. There are no negotiations beyond this process — the municipality sets the collection parameters, and the bidder must meet them.”

For more information on municipal trash regulations, visit princetonnj.gov/1359/Trash-Collection.