Earlier this year, the Village of Galena joined the Village of Sunbury in seeking a new contract for solid waste removal for village residents. Both communities felt that as they were adjacent to one another, and were seeking service at the same time, the joint effort was worthwhile.
When competitive bidding was accomplished, however, each community went its separate way.
Bids were received from Local Waste Service (LWS), the current provider in Sunbury, and Rumpke, a large refuse company which operates in multiple states. The Village of Galena signed an agreement with Rumpke and the first day of service under that contract was April 1.
Sunbury’s primary emphasis in seeking a new contract, however, was to maintain its current level of service, which includes unlimited trash and yard waste pickup with optional recycling. Of the two bids received, only LWS broke out recycling as an optional service.
In a March 3 letter to Mayor Tommy Hatfield and members of Village Council, Village Administrator Allen Rothermel stated, “Based on Council’s previous direction there is only one bid that meets that criteria, LWS. If Council wants to discuss the optional bids of mandatory recycling then please look at the alternatives located on the table provided. The only caution I would provide is we will be forcing 65% of the residents to go from basic trash service to mandatory recycling, or at least paying for it.”
At its last in-person meeting, Village Council voted to award the contract to LWS.
In Galena, residents now have weekly trash collection and every other week recycling. That service includes a 65 gallon wheeled recycling cart for every residence.
