LAVALLETTE — The borough council introduced an ordinance at its Nov. 13 meeting that would end the municipal collection of garbage at commercial retail food establishments like restaurants.
Specifically, the ordinance proposes to slightly alter the language of the town’s solid waste code, by adding a line establishing municipal waste collection for “all residences and commercial and institutional establishments, except for commercial retail food establishments.”
Currently, borough code stipulates that “There is hereby established a program for the municipal collection of garbage from all residences and commercial and institutional establishments, and bulky waste collection from residences within the Borough of Lavallette. The Borough Council shall annually, by resolution, establish a cleanup week or weeks for residential properties.” The ordinance that was introduced would necessitate the businesses to arrange for private waste collection.
Introducing the proposal, Mayor Walter LaCicero said that he was not anticipating the ordinance to appear on the night’s agenda, but was nevertheless open to public comment.
“I had hoped to meet with the [Lavallette Business Association] prior to the introduction of this ordinance,” said the mayor.
The mayor said that the origin of this proposed ordinance is an uptick in commercial trash generation, which has required the borough’s garbage collectors to take on additional collections.
“This ordinance has come about because of discussions that we had with the borough [public works] superintendent regarding a dramatic increase in the amount of services being absorbed at the DPW [Department of Public Works] by garbage collection,” he said. “Half of that is attributable to businesses and the other half is attributable to the public cans that we have in the business district, which we’re now collecting at a much higher rate.”
The language of the ordinance would also add a definition for “commercial food retail establishments.”
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