Unless citizens referendum the switch, Rumpke will replace Waste Management as the city’s garbage collector on Oct. 3.
Pickerington’s contract with Waste Management ends Sept. 30 and its contract with Rumpke cannot begin before Oct. 2. As a result, Rumpke cannot distribute garbage cans and recycling bins in time for the Friday, Oct. 3 trash day.
On Waste Management’s last collection day, Sept. 26, a vehicle will follow the garbage truck to collect the Waste Management toters, service manager Ed Drobina said.
Rumpke representative Brian Wilson said all trash left by the curb will be collected regardless the type of container.
The reason for the awkward transition is that council did not approve the third reading of the ordinance to approve the contract until the Sept. 2 meeting.
By law an ordinance cannot take effect until 30 days after its third reading. The 30 days allows citizens the opportunity to referendum legislation with which they disagree.
A trash contract originally came before council earlier in the summer, however many residents complained to officials because the contract included recycling for everyone.
The city rebid the contract so that recycling was optional.
City manager Tim Handley said the worst-case scenario regarding the trash transition would be that recycling might be missed the first week.
Other news
The council also approved the first reading of an ordinance that would require funeral homes to charge no more than $750 to inter an indigent person.
Recently a person died whose family could not pay for an internment. By state law, Pickerington became the responsible party, law director Phil Hartman said.
The city had not previously set a limit for how much it would pay to cremate a body. Burials would cost even more.
In other news, the culvert replacement on Meadows Boulevard will be completed by this week if the weather permits, Drobina told the council.
Pickerington’s service department acted as primary contractor on the job to save the city money. Flooding earlier in the summer swept away the rusty previous culvert; the new one is cement rather than metal.
