Edwin Geuder is not happy about the new garbage collection program and he wants Town Hall to know.
To show his resolve, Geuder sent a fax to the town Monday, Jan. 11 stating that if his grey garbage can was not empty by 5 p.m. he would take the bags to Town Hall. And he did just that. Geuder dropped off two bags with notes he sent stating his concerns attached to them.
He spoke with the operations manager and was told that the program could not be changed as it is a contract deal.
Geuder has two concerns with regard to the bi-weekly pickups: the smell of garbage in the summer and who is responsible if the garbage gets out of hand and overflows into the streets.
“Now it’s on the street, I don’t know who cleans it up there,” stated Geuder in an interview.
He moved to Ponoka from Sylvan Lake November 2014 and said that his previous town has a similar garbage and recycle program but that garbage gets collected once a week. His concern is that in the summer the smell of garbage will become too much and he feels there are sanitary considerations as well.
To clarify, Geuder said he thinks the garbage cans work well, but does not feel pickups every two weeks is ideal.
Other neighbours appear to have assumed garbage would be picked up again on the 11th as Geuder said he noticed many on the street. “It will be a wake up call for them.”
What Geuder would like to see is an immediate revision. “I want the town to rethink their contract as soon as they can,” he said.
He is resolute in his goal to see the contract changed and plans on dropping off the garbage every other week if it isn’t collected. Geuder gives the town six months.