West Orange May Switch Up Trash Collection To Save Money

WEST ORANGE, NJ — Would you accept less trash pickups if it saved your household a few bucks every month? That’s the question West Orange residents are being asked to contemplate as the town considers making tweaks to its garbage collection service.

The West Orange Town Council continued a long-running discussion about potential changes to the town’s trash collection service at their meeting this week. The question on the table is simple: “Should West Orange make cuts in the name of saving taxpayer money?”

There’s no denying that the cost of trash collection is skyrocketing. And West Orange residents will have to reach deeper into their wallets if they want to keep service levels where they’re currently at. However, there are a lot of moving parts to the situation to consider, according to Wayne DeFeo of environmental consulting firm DeFeo Associates, who gave some background about the conundrum at Monday’s council meeting.

Some things to think about include reducing the number of collections made every week, dropping commercial/electronic waste collections, decreasing the frequency of bulk waste collections and having the town provide its own containers.

The council is expected to revisit the issue at a future meeting. DeFeo’s presentation can be seen online here.

The trash debate comes as many West Orange residents struggle with rising property taxes, including a hike of $262 for the average homeowner’s school taxes this year. See Related: West Orange School Budget Approved With Tax Increase, Teacher Cuts

The town’s municipal budget for 2024 is still in development. The average homeowner’s combined property tax in West Orange increased 3.72 percent last year, state data shows. Read More: Property Taxes In West Orange (See Latest 5-Year Breakdown)

RISING TRASH COSTS

According to a presentation from DeFeo last year, the township has an “extraordinarily high level of service for solid waste and recycling collection,” which is on par or better than nearly all of the surrounding communities.

However, towns across New Jersey – including West Orange – have been facing price increases between 33 and 150 percent for recent bids due to rising fuel, labor and equipment costs in the trash collection and recycling industry, as well as the recent “departure” of some low-priced companies from the industry that has limited competition in the marketplace. See Related: Trash In West Orange: Industry Costs Are Rising, Consultant Says

The situation hasn’t gotten any rosier since last year, he confirmed Monday.

According to DeFeo, there are four different options on the table. The difference in cost isn't much: only a few dollars separate each choice:

OPTION 1 – Keep the current service level (no changes). It would cost West Orange households $18.14 per month.

OPTION 2 – Collect trash two times a week, with the town providing carts. Bulk waste would be collected weekly (by reservation only). It would cost West Orange households $17.55 per month.

OPTION 3 – Collect trash one time a week, with no carts provided by the town. Bulk waste would be collected once a month (by reservation only), and no commercial or e-waste would be collected. It would cost West Orange households $15.46 per month.

OPTION 4 – Collect trash one time a week with the town providing carts. Bulk waste would be collected once a month (by reservation only), and no commercial or e-waste would be collected. It would cost West Orange households $15.85 per month.

DeFeo presented a five-year projection for each option (see chart below).

DeFeo said that many commercial businesses in West orange already use private garbage collection service. The average cost to those who don’t would come to about $100 per month, depending on the level of service that the town ultimately chooses.

According to DeFeo, only about 10 percent of homes in West Orange currently require bulk collections.

The presentation touched off a lengthy discussion among the council, as well as residents who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting. Watch footage below (video is cued to the discussion).

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