Politics & Government

Yorktown Supervisor: 'A Few Glitches' Reported with New Garbage Company

Town officials say 'Let's give them a chance.'

It has been two weeks since the new garbage hauler, Competition Carting, took over in Yorktown and there have been a few reported glitches. However, town officials said the majority of residents were not affected.

"There has been a few glitches here and there, but we are working them out," Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace said. "A lot of that is just based upon going from one contract to the other. We've had some complaints, but very few."

Yorktown's Environmental Conservation Department Recycling Coordinator Kim Angliss-Gage said there is a lot to undertake with any transition and the 40-square-mile town is filled with different routes the company has to get familiar with.  

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"There was an abundance of paper and recyclables when they started because of the holidays," she said. "I think they were a little surprised at how much there was. It took a little longer [to collect]."

She also speculated about some reasons why garbage might not have been collected on time as some residents had complained. The collection schedule days for kitchen trash and recyclables remain the same, but the time of collection may change, Angliss-Gage said. 

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"[Residents] wait until they have their coffee to put out their garbage because they were used to the trucks coming at 8:30 a.m.," she said. 

Therefore, she wants residents to make sure they place their cans and recycling bins at curbside by 6 a.m. – as it has always been the policy – to ensure their garbage is picked up.

Another reason for complaints from residents about their garbage not being picked up could be the result of residents not notifying Competition Carting that they would like to continue with their "driveway service." Through the driveway service residents pay an extra fee not to have to carry their garbage bins to the curbside, yet still have garbage collected.

(If you'd like to arrange that service with Competition Carting call 914-248-1500.)

"The vast majority of residents would even be surprised there is a new garbage company," Angliss-Gage said.

Yorktown Councilman Nick said he received three calls last week with complaints from residents – one call dealt with the resident's recycling not being picked up until later that evening, two calls dealt with garbage not being picked up from a private road. Those issues appear to have been straightened out by now, he said.  

"Let's give them a chance," Bianco said during a meeting last week when a Yorktown resident blasted the new garbage company. 

On Monday, he said one of the major problems has been with garbage pick up from multi-family homes (on Baldwin Road and Lexington Avenue) where Competition Carting had not supplied the homes with large containers – resulting in garbage and recyclables getting mixed in. 

"This is a major one," Bianco said. 

One of those issues on Lexington Avenue had been resolved but as of Monday, the issue on Baldwin Road had yet to be corrected. 

Angliss-Gage said she has been pleased with Competition Carting's office staff who have been very receptive when someone has a question. She said some employees from the town's previous garbage provider were hired by the new garbage hauler. 

Town board members voted unanimously in October 2012 to accept Frontline Waste Management Corp. doing business as Competition Carting's $2.49 million bid, which was the lowest out of four bids that were opened on Oct. 1, 2012. The second lowest bidder for the job at $2.98 million was Yorktown's previous garbage collector CRP Sanitation Inc.

By switching to another garbage collector, Yorktown is saving about $800,000.

An attorney for Yorktown's new garbage hauler reassured the town in December that garbage will be picked up as scheduled starting on Jan. 1, 2013. Competition Carting operates 11 vehicles and has 23 employees (20 of them will work to service and pick up garbage in town), according to officials. 

When reached on Monday, Yorktown resident Brian Amico, who despite some recent management changes at the company continue to continue to oversee the day-to-day operations of Competition Carting, declined to comment.

What has your experience with Competition Carting been like so far?

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