Sylvnia Twp. Trustees: Yard waste disposal up to residents
5/25/2011Sylvania Township residents who moved tree debris or other yard waste to the curb too late for the township road crew's collection are being sent notice that they must dispose of the material themselves.
After a brief discussion about brush piles that have continued to appear on township roadsides after the trucks passed by, township trustees last week directed Public Works Manager Greg Huffman to deliver flyers advising property owners that the "Spring Cleaning" pickup has been completed and they must remove the debris from along the roadways.
"There's just a lot of sticks everywhere still," trustee Kevin Haddad complained.
"We did our part to communicate to the public when we would collect," said John Jennewine, the township board's chairman. "People are falling back on, 'The township will pick it up.' We've got some neighborhoods that have asked for a second pickup, but if we go down that road, it's a never-ending thing."
The flyer Mr. Huffman has prepared advises residents that the township's next brush pickup won't be until July 11.
It also lists composting and recycling businesses that accept brush, branches, garden waste, and other organic material, though in most cases, they do so for a fee. The exception was Toledo Topsoil & Mulch, Llc., at 5315 Stickney Ave.
How the order to remove brush from curbsides is to be enforced was not clear. Asked how long residents have to remove material before they are cited, Mr. Huffman said, "We hope the residents will comply with our request to help keep the neighborhood clean."
"Spring Cleaning" cost the township $133,219.12, including manpower and fuel for trucks.
Mr. Huffman said the cost in a typical year is half to two-thirds as much.
This year's heavy load is directly attributable to a mid-February ice storm that caused extensive tree damage in the Toledo area, especially near and north of the Ohio-Michigan border.
Township officials started "Spring Cleanup" two weeks earlier in April than normally scheduled, but the campaign took six weeks to complete.
"Out of my 22 years, it was one of the Top 3," Mr. Huffman told the trustees.
Township resident Al Hayes applauded the trustees' decision not to provide additional debris collection.
"We went way beyond our call of duty here. I don't think we need to pick up any more," he told the board.
And Mr. Jennewine said residents should appreciate the service already provided, since brush collection is not an essential township function.
"I don't see where it's the township's business to be picking up people's [tree] limbs. It's a great service we provide," the trustee chairman said.