Highland Heights Garbage Service To Stay the Same

Free containers for rubbish and recycling weren't enough of an enticement to convince officials to change from the current level of service.

"I have received absolutely overwhelming response not to change," Council President Cathy Murphy said Tuesday shortly before council voted 6-1 for a new five-year contract with Kimble that will cost $2.71 million, although the city will be able to opt out of the deal each of the final two years.

Murphy noted that option allowed the city to forego the final two years of its current deal with Kimble and enter a new contract that will save $300,000 over the next two years.

Councilman Robert Mastrangelo, who cast the dissenting vote, made a final pitch to at least accept the 96-gallon rubbish carts Kimble offered for free as long as the city agreed to a five-year deal without an opt-out provision.

"I think we're making a big mistake by not at least going with 6B (the bid option that included carts). It's the same price," said Mastrangelo, who also favored going with the 64-gallon carts for recycling.

Although they wound up voting with the majority, Councilmen Chuck Brunello and Frank Legan also argued in favor of carts for rubbish and recycling.

Brunello said residents who stated opposition to a change had heard misleading things and had different opinions when they heard all of the facts.

"The fact that they can throw everything in the recycle bins rather than separate was huge with them," he said.

But other council members were concerned about residents having space to store the carts, particularly in the Aberdeen area, where homeowner association rules prohibit trash containers from being outside and also don't allow homeowners to have storage sheds.

"You're not allowed to have them outside and there's no place to put them," Councilman Leo Lombardo said.

Mastrangelo said complaints he heard were from people who didn't understand that trash pickup would still be unlimited and rubbish would not have to be in the cart to be collected.

"They didn't have a problem when they found out that they can put out their garbage the way they normally do," he said.

In attendance at the meeting was a representative from Kimble, Don Johnson, who said that automated collection with the 96-gallon carts was the way the rubbish industry is headed.

"We bid this contract to be automated because we feel it helps keep our costs down," he said. "We would like residents to try it."

He said when there has been opposition in other communities, the people usually wind up liking the carts. But he also offered to work something out with Service Director Thom Evans if residents didn't want the carts or wanted to switch to smaller ones.