Council approves additional trash can purchase program

LACONIA — City residents who’d like to purchase extra cans for trash and recycling will soon be able to do so.

City councilors approved a resolution to create a program for residents to purchase extra trash and recycling cans through the public works department at their meeting on Monday night.

During a period open to public comment, David Hilliard of 18 Jewett St. said he could use additional trash cans at apartments he owns.

“I got informed that my apartment building that had three apartments could only get two cans and that the can should be shared by the third apartment. Well, you don’t know what kind of a hassle that turned into,” Hilliard said. “They were fighting on who was going to change the trash out. ... So tonight I’m here to say, 'Why can’t I have another trash can?' With all the things we have going on in the world, I’m over here pleading for a trash can.”

The purchase of extra cans will be limited to single-family homes, duplexes and triplexes. The authorization for additional containers for duplexes and triplexes are based on occupancy approved through the city’s planning process and each unit would be authorized for one additional set. Properties where the owners have elected for the smaller 35-gallon trash and 65-gallon recycling cans are not eligible to receive extra containers.

“It’s gone through the Public Works Committee multiple times, it’s been before the council,” City Manager Kirk Beattie said. “Containers that people would be able to purchase ... they would need to also purchase with that a sticker which is going to be good for one year to allow them to show the company picking up that that’s what it is. And they will also have an annual fee that they have to pay as well.”

The cost of the additional services will be levied upon the resident but the cans themselves will remain city property. Those interested in receiving extra cans will pay a one-time fee.

The Public Works Department has 30 of the 65-gallon trash cans and 130 of the 95-gallon recycling cans in their inventory, numbers insufficient to provide containers for new homes, replace those damaged in accidents and for providing additional containers through the new can program. Fees for the program will be adjusted based on the cost of purchasing new cans to meet the demand and will be adjusted each time new cans must be purchased.

Based on a quote city officials received in June, residents will pay $63 for an additional 65-gallon trash can and $68 for an additional 95-gallon recycling container. An additional sticker for the cans, which tells refuse companies they should collect contents inside the cans, will be $100. An annual fee for two additional cans will be $532, the fee for only an additional trash can will be $305 and for only a recycling can will be $228.

“If you have everything, you’d pay the $63 and the $68, you’d pay the $100 and the $532, and then annually you’d pay $100 and the $532 or adjusted based on what Casella costs for picking up the waste.” Beattie said. “We’re not planning on proration for these but, in the first year, if they come in October, November, we’ll do a year-plus compromise.”

City leaders estimate there may be requests for 500 sets of additional containers, which would cost around $60,000 to purchase, not including shipping, but the public works department doesn’t have enough secure storage to hold all of them, so they plan to purchase the additional stock incrementally according to anticipated demand.

“We’ll order what we think we need to have on hand but, again, we’re not trying to overload the public works department with a bunch of cans that aren’t being used but they’ll work out all of the logistics on that,” Beattie said. 

The purchase of the containers will be funded by a 2023 bond that purchased containers initially when the city converted to the use of an automated collection service. There is about $160,000 remaining in that fund, according to a staff report.