SPENCER'S ISLAND - Not everyone is happy with the Municipality of Cumberland County's recent decision to switch to a countywide system of curbside collection of solid waste, and some residents are in fact outraged with what they see as a complete lack of community consultation.
The lack of community consultation was a concern voiced by Coun. John Reid at the Dec. 7 meeting of county council, during which the $13 million tender for curbside collection was awarded to PBS.
"Everyone is talking about consultation with communities," said resident Margot Kerr. "There was none. We didn't know about it."
Kerr was so upset by these developments that she created a petition expressing disapproval of both the decision to move to a curbside system, and the process in which the decision was made. Placed in public locations such as the Advocate store, the local library and a campground, the petition garnered 240 signatures.
Presented at the Dec. 7 council meeting, however, the petition was given minimal attention.
Losing the local transfer station could result in construction and demolition waste being dumped in the woods, and placing garbage at the roadsides could attract nuisance and potentially dangerous animals like coyotes, according to resident Jim MacKinnon.
"I don't want to see the coyote population increase, where I get attacked, my dog gets attacked, or somebody's kids get attacked," he said. "It's not a very likely scenario, but they're increasing the risk of it by doing this."
Curbside collection is scheduled to begin across the county as of April 1, but Kerr said they will continue to press the matter until council reverses its decision.
(For more, see the Dec. 15 issue of The Citizen-Record)
