|
|
|
Burnsville will revisit issue of regulating trash collection
Posted 10/27/00 by John Gessner Burnsville is studying for a second time whether to regulate garbage hauling to reduce the number of trucks on city streets. A committee representing citizens, haulers and U.S. Waste Landfill in Burnsville is forming to study an issue first studied by some of the same committee members in 1997. At issue is whether too many garbage and recycling trucks roam the city, causing excessive wear on streets, disturbing neighborhood tranquility and posing a traffic danger. Another concern of some residents is the unsightliness of trash at the ends of driveways several days a week. Possible alternatives to Burnsvilleís open-market system include a city-managed system with a private contractor (not likely, officials say), an ordinance that would limit hauling to certain areas of the city on certain days, a cap on the number of haulers licensed in Burnsville, or a city-run consortium in which haulers are given certain sections of the city based on their current market share. Unlike nearby cities, including Eagan, Lakeville, Farmington and Minneapolis, Burnsville has taken no steps to regulate its hauling system. The committee decided three years ago to promote neighborhood-collection systems, in which residents could voluntarily contract with a single hauler to provide neighborhood service, possibly at a reduced rate. The committee recommended revisiting the issue if the city hadnít garnered participation by 30 percent of households within three years. The City Council accepted the recommendation. An admittedly unscientific survey of residents by their haulers shows that fewer than 20 percent of their customers participate in neighborhood-collection systems, said Sue Bast, the recycling coordinator for both Burnsville and Eagan. Complaints The committee was originally formed in response to complaints from residents and worry among city officials about wear on streets. ěThere were significant complaints,î Bast said. ěThis was around the time when there were like 12 licensed haulers. There were a lot of garbage trucks.î There are fewer licensed haulers operating now in Burnsville, and some may have taken steps to concentrate the number of trips through particular neighborhoods, said Nancy Nystuen, a resident who served on the original committee and will serve on the new one. ěSo I think the situation has changed to some degree,î she said. Any proposed regulations that would limit choice of haulers could meet public resistance. ěIt apparently aroused a lot of passion last time around,î said Deputy City Manager Tom Hansen. ěIn Burnsville, I donít think people particularly care to be told what to do. Believe it or not, people sometimes even get attached to their haulers.î Nystuen said the original committee showed little support for such measures as dividing up the city and assigning haulers to certain sections, or having haulers bid on certain sections. ěThatís where the compromise came: Let individual homeowners make this decision,î Nystuen said. The city offers a how-to booklet on establishing a neighborhood-collection system. Bast continues to get inquiries, even if the concept hasnít swept the city. ěI know North River Hills has about 800 householdsî organized into a neighborhood system, Bast said. ěAnd Iíve known of other places that have had anywhere from 20 to over 100.î To inquire about neighborhood collection or about serving on the committee, call Bast at 895-4559.
©Thisweek Newspapers |
