Suggestions to solve solid waste woes

Every so often I feel the uncontrollable urge to laugh and not leave well enough alone. The object of my humor is the lead story in the CDA Press July 22 edition entitled: “INSULT TO INJURY: TRASH ATOP GARBAGE.”

If ever there was a photo that clearly showed bureaucratic nincompoopery, that one on the front page was a pip! Poor old JD Phillips, Solid Waste director, was upset with overflowing trash, calling it the “epic summer for abuse” with 14% increase of overflowing waste. JD blamed the events of last Jan. 13’s windstorm and just about everything else for the terrible problem.

Hey JD, if usage is 14% higher then how’s about emptying the dumpsters 14% more often or even providing 14% more dumpsters? On the other hand, you could have placed a back-up 40-yard open top container (at little or no extra cost) on weekends of high demand, oh and maybe a 40-yard open top for green waste.

Just a friendly reminder: If you make it easy for the citizens of this county to comply with the rules, they will be more likely to follow them. We need an epic summer of extra dumpsters, not bellyaching to the commissioners.

Here’s another idea: Instead of wasting $1,500 (not to mention time) on pretty stickers that nobody in their right mind will even glance at, you could have called Sheriff Bob’s office. Then you could have offered that wasted “sticker money” for extra patrol and a brand new book of blank citations for the contractors who need help to be reminded of our county ordinances.

And if that isn’t enough (and it isn’t with some surly contractors), you might have called the county attorney’s office and asked them to help go after the errant contractor’s state license for unlawful dumping.

$1,500 bucks worth of stickers! Well, I guess JD is in the business of solid waste. It figures.

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"Grandpa" Brad Anderson is a resident of Athol and a retired facilities manager.