Tarentum trash collection fee unchanged but will be limited to 1 container

Tarentum residents will pay the same for garbage collection in 2023 but will no longer have unlimited service.

Council was notified in October that Waste Management was not able to extend the borough’s current contract that provides unlimited service because of a lack of drivers. The borough advertised for bids to seek other haulers but didn’t receive any.

“Not having garbage collection is not an option,” Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said. “We were able to work out a different contract with Waste Management to avoid a disruption in service.”

The borough pays about $480,000 a year for garbage hauling. It amounts to about 12% of the budget.

Unlimited garbage service is expected to be offered through April before service switches to automated curbside collection, which requires less manpower.

“Waste Management, like others in the industry, has felt the impact of the labor shortage,” said Erika Deyarmin, public affairs coordinator for the company. “With this service, only one person is needed on the collection truck.”

Residents will have the opportunity to choose between a 35-, 64- or 96-gallon trash container in April, Boddorf said.

A 96-gallon container can hold up to seven, 13-gallon trash bags, according to Waste Management.

All materials left at the curb must be in that one selected container, Deyarmin said.

Items left outside the container will not be collected. Residents will have the opportunity to buy extra containers for $100 each.

Residents will be able to get rid of one bulk item per month.

Tarentum resident Nick Rahman, who moved to East Eighth Avenue about six months ago, is against the new policy. He said it’s unfair to charge residents for additional cans.

“They should be giving you two cans,” Rahman said. “I can maybe manage, but what about large families?”

Joyce Hanz | Tribune-Review

Emptied garbage cans line a street Thursday in Tarentum. Next April, Tarentum is switching to a collection system that will replace these trash cans, owned by the resident, with receptacles provided by trash hauler Waste Management Inc. However, the garbage collection man will only pick up their own receptacle. Anything left next to in, or in a different container, won’t be picked up.

West Tarentum resident Michael Orait, 44, described the change in collection as “stupid.”

“I already pay enough in taxes,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to pay more for garbage. I’ll just use the one can and burn the rest. I’m not spending $100 for another can.”

Ormond Street resident Dawn Hoffman was unaware of the changes.

“It’s terrible. The trash service has already lost three or four of my can lids,” Hoffman said. “They can’t take care of what we have now.”

Boddorf said residents will be notified of the changes over the next few months.

“Council, our solicitor and I felt this was the best option for the borough that kept a quality provider and did not increase prices for next year,” he said.

The cost is on par with other municipalities across the Alle-Kiski Valley, Boddorf said. O’Hara and Indiana Township residents pay about $30 a month for similar service, while Tarentum residents pay $25, he said.

Recycling currently is not available to Tarentum residents. Though that is not expected to change with the new contract, the borough will meet with Waste Management in the next few weeks to discuss possibilities, Boddorf said.

“We need to look at all of the options on the table,” he said.

Tawnya Panizzi and Joyce Hanz are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Tawnya at 724-226-7726, tpanizzi@triblive.com or via Twitter @tawnyatrib. You can contact Joyce at jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter @hanz_joyce.