AVALON – Following a session closed to the public April 13, Avalon Borough Council returned to the public session and approved a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the borough’s private trash and recycling service provider.
Gold Metal Environmental, a waste management and recycling firm headquartered in Sewell, agreed to a new MOU that preserves most of the current service arrangement with one notable exception.
The new MOU eliminates the requirement to provide a side yard return of emptied containers. An Avalon press release states that over 40% of the actual time spent by Gold Metal employees in Avalon is for the side yard return of containers. Staring May 1, containers shall be placed curbside when they are emptied.
The borough’s release notes that escalating fuel and labor costs have negatively impacted trash and recycling haulers who are often working on contracts negotiated years before current inflation and labor circumstances began to drive up costs significantly.
Mayor Martin Pagliughi called the MOU a “win” since it preserves Avalon’s collection schedules with the elimination of side yard return. Given the economy, Avalon officials said certain concessions to help the hauler reduce expenses were necessary. The collection schedule will remain twice a week during the busy summer months and once per week in the off-season.
The borough will put a new solid waste and recycling contract out to bid this summer with the potential for making an award in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Side yard return of containers will be an optional item in the bid process, allowing the borough to get a price specific to this service. The borough would then be able to decide on the potential return of the service.
