Waste Management doing its job

By Sue Cipperly, Gettysburg

The Waste Management contract for Gettysburg begins today, April 1.  WM trucks are out delivering trash receptacles to those who have had them, or requested them, based on records provided by the borough.  If folks don’t get a bin, they can follow the instructions on the borough website – www.gettysburgpa.gov — to pick one up locally or get one delivered.   People can use their own bins, or contract with Waste Management for one.

In the Gettysburg Times on Wednesday, March 30,  borough manager Charles Gable was quoted as saying: “We are beyond frustrated and exceptionally displeased with this transition, I think an apology letter to every single customer of WM is in order,”

Waste Management sent out a flyer over two weeks ago, detailing their services – maybe some people threw theirs away.  It said their services begin April 1.  It provided contact info.  Why would they be responsible for providing trash bins before their contract begins?  The first pickup is April 4.  Should the previous contractor have notified customers that their bins would be retrieved once their contract ended? Maybe the borough could have let people know the bins would be picked up, and new ones supplied.

There will doubtless be some glitches during the transition to a new company, as there were last time things changed.  The finger-pointing at the new company is counter-productive, and set a tone toward Waste Management before their contract even started.  Ire at two to three days without a trash bin could have been avoided with better communication from our local government.  Please have a little patience with the transition.  Life will go on.