Some Harrison residents are questioning the township’s move to a new garbage hauler after what they say was a bumpy first week of collections.
But Noble Environmental is ensuring that kinks in the new collection routes will be ironed out quickly. And they are asking for patience.
“We’ve been inundated with calls from people calling early to report misses while our trucks are still out there,” said Patrick Odum, operations manager for the Belle Vernon-based company.
“With the previous hauler, the garbage might’ve been picked up at a certain time but that doesn’t mean our routes will be exactly the same.”
Harrison voted in September to change from Waste Management and opt into a three-year, $4.9 million contract with Noble because it includes unlimited bags of garbage and collection of bulk items at no extra charge.
Waste Management had pitched an electronic arm method where residents would pile garbage into a 96-gallon plastic cart which is hoisted by lifts on the garbage trucks.
Residents took to social media this week with concerns.
One user posted, “the whole reason they changed was because the fear of littering the alleys with the Waste Management robots. Well, it’s nearly 10 a.m. and our garbage hasn’t been picked up and the alley is littered with garbage from the wind.”
Another person said: “Part of the street got picked up last week and part didn’t. And no recycling bins were received. The trash is overflowing and we have no idea when they are coming.”
Odum said collection days are unchanged but times may vary. Under township code, trash can be collected between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“It won’t be that late in the afternoon but it might not be the same as before,” he said.
Challenges come with a new contract, Odum said, and he ensured people “it will be business as usual” in no time.
One glitch the company faced was that a few streets are too narrow for the large trucks. Three alleys in Natrona and a handful of others scattered throughout the township were not able to be serviced Monday but crews in smaller trucks collected Tuesday in those areas.
Property owners were notified that their collection day will change moving forward to accommodate that need, he said.
Across the township, residents can expect to receive a new recycling bin by next week.
Old bins can be kept or disposed of during a special collection at the township building, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 31.
Noble will not collect recyclables placed in the old containers after Jan. 31.
Residents will continue to use their own trash cans. They will not be provided.
“We understand no one wants to have trash on their curb but most of the calls we’ve received so far, we were still in the area working,” Odum said.
“We are asking people to give us an appropriate amount of time.”
