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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-03-26, Page 22 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, March 25, 2015 Municipal waste collection would handicap local firm: business owner Sanitation firm warns council against getting involved in waste collection Marco Vigliotti scheduled days to pickup the Huron Expositor garbage. While there are no concrete The owner of a Seaforth- plans to wade into even consid- based sanitation company is urging Huron East council to reconsider any movement towards contracting out resi- dential garbage and recycling services, cautioning that municipal involvement would cloudy the future of his business. Don Brown, owner of Brown Sanitation, warns that an attempt by the municipal- ity to get involved with gar- bage collection would greatly handicap his firm's expansion plans to serve Vanastra and Brussels. "I'm eager and have the potential to do a great deal more. I would like to expand my business," he told council at its March 17 meeting after ear- lier requesting an opportunity to make a presentation. "I have two days that are in town (Sea - forth) here that are pretty full. The other three days are minimal;' Currently, Brown Sanitation, a private firm, collects garbage in the Seaforth area using the tag system. Residents can pur- chase the tags at several loca- tions around the community, including Town Hall and then affix them to their garbage bags. The tags for up to a 40 -pound bag cost $2.25. Brown then circulates through the community on ering anew system, Huron East council did receive a report at its March 3 meeting that prompted the question whether the municipality would stand to save money by jointly contracting out recycling and garbage services. The municipality would then add this cost to the residential tax bill. Recycling in the area is already provided by the Blue - water Recycling Association, an arms -length non-profit coop- erative that is jointly owned and operated by its member municipalities. Brown says that jointly con- tracting garbage and recycling collection would necessitate hiring a firm from a larger cen- tre outside the municipality, such as London or Mt. Forest, as his company couldn't per- form both services. He stresses that residents would feel the absence of his firm in the municipality's waste collection picture. "There hasn't been a week that's gone by that there hasn't been bags out on the streets without tags. Do I leave them? No, I take them. Would thelarge companies do that? I doubt it;" Brown said, adding that his companyroutinelycomes byto collect garbage for those who have missed collection day and assists elderly residents by pick- ing icking up their bags right from the door. He also notes that the institu- tion of the tag system benefits Seaforth businesses, as resi- dents stopping in to purchase a tag at one of the several loca- tionswhere they are offered will most likely "buy something else: When asked by Mayor Bernie MacLellan whether the impending closure of the Mid - Huron landfill in 2017 would greatly impact the future of his company, Brown voiced a deci- sive no, brushing off the change as merely adding another 10 minutes to his routes. He also says that his firm already handles all the paper- work and fees generated from trips to the landfill, warning that it would fall on council's plate if the municipality opted to con- tract out services to a larger company. "I ask council not to do any- thing," Brown said. "If you go with the large companies, council is going to be involved whether it be higher taxes and that means paperwork, collection" "When has council wanted to get into the garbage busi- ness? That's my business; my only business," he added. "lam also motivated to succeed as a business owner inyourmunici- pality, which is also my municipality: While other council mem- bers asked Brown questions, there was no resolution passed as a result of the presentation. Huron East's administrative building in downtown Seaforth. ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! DEADLINES Our Weekly Deadlines are as follows: ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL Friday @ 2:00 pm Iluron Expositor 8 Main St., Seaforth PH: 519-527-0240 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com OFFICE HOURS: Mon. - Fri. 9am - 5pm CLOSED TUESDAYS File Photo INDIAN RIVER DIRECT CITRUS TRUCKLOAD SALE SEAFOR!H WED., MAR. 27th - 1pm to 3pm Seaforth Agricultural Society 20LB BOX OF FLORIDA SEEDLESS NAVEL ORANGES OR RUBY RED GRAPEFRUITS = $32.00 PER BOX www.indianriverdirect.com