Letter: Franklin Township needs a better recycling solution than Solid Waste can offer

As a Franklin Township resident, I’m frustrated but not surprised by the issues with the Solid Waste District. We went from weekly collections to every other week, from small containers that were convenient for those of us with really long driveways to massive containers that were impractical eyesores. When I contacted the department years ago to express the difficulties we were having getting the new containers down our very long driveway, I was told that I should just leave the container at the end of the driveway all the time. Aside from how that would look (really bad), and animals/wind knocking it over and scattering trash, we also have three houses sharing our driveway and definitely no room for three-plus cans to sit as permanent fixtures. That’s not exactly a practical solution, but I’ve never gotten the impression that the Solid Waste District really cared about what was workable for its customers. 

In any case, I have significant concerns about the current dispute over the contract. I’m not an attorney, but, as a business owner, I read a lot of contracts. It is my understanding, having reviewed the document, that the District cannot terminate the contract, even with 180 days’ notice. The contract is written to go through Dec. 31, 2024, with automatic annual renewal unless either party notifies the other that they wish to terminate at least 180 days prior to the renewal. In that case, the District would be fine to terminate, but only at the end of the contract.