The village of Marathon Board of Trustees is planning to send out a request for proposals for bids from garbage and recycling companies, based on a conversation between board members at the March 2 meeting.
The village board, with assistance from Cortland County Recycling Coordinator Chris Spadolini, put together a drafted contract in terms of garbage and recycling pickup in the area. The proposed contract includes dialogue on the removal of recycling and garbage “from approximately 420 locations,” village mayor Scott Chamberlin said.
Spadolini provided a short presentation at the village board meeting in regards to a recurring recycling issue in Cortland County. Spadolini, who’s been the county’s recycling coordinator since October of last year, has been visiting multiple municipalities within the county to engage in discussions about recycling.
“The rules and regulations are constantly changing, and it’s extremely confusing,” Spadolini said. “The contamination has gotten out of control, so I’ve been reaching out to as many public areas as I can.”
Spadolini has noted in the past that the municipalities “aren’t at fault” with the county’s current recycling problem.
“It’s the haulers and the way we do things,” Spadolini said back in January. “(Haulers) are trying to cut expenses. By using a tote system, it becomes very difficult to police what goes in those (recycling) bins.”
Chamberlin said the village will “hold the contractor responsible” for how the garbage and recycling is processed.
“When we say we’re going to hold the contractor responsible, it doesn’t mean we’re not going to let up on educating village residents about how to properly (separate) recycle and trash,” Chamberlin said. “We understand that we have a role to play.”
Chamberlin added that the village board may have a “meeting and invite the public” for input on the state of garbage and recycling in the area. The date and time of that meeting has yet to be determined.
