The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to AskTheMayor@thelakewoodscoop.com.
Question:
Dear Mr. Coles,
Thank you for being an excellent and caring mayor. We appreciate it!
My question today concerns our beautiful town. We walk around our neighborhood and it should be a pleasant experience except for the terrible smells coming from the many garbage cans that are sitting and baking in the hot sun for a full week before being picked up. Is there any way that, at least in the summer, we could have pickup twice a week? That would go a long way toward the problem.
R M
Response from Mayor Coles:
Good afternoon,
It is not possible for us to go to 2 day a week pickup at this time.
There are some things we can do to make sure the smells are kept to a minimum. First is to only put sealed bags into the can. Also, do not overfill the cans. Make sure the lid is fully closed. This will also help keep any animas from getting into the cans. I personally make sure to rinse out any recyclable cans or bottles before I put them in the can. This helps keep smells down.
Finally, you can occasionally rinse the cans, especially the recyclable cans which do not have bagged garbage. There are also several companies who will come out periodically and power wash the cans.
Thanks
Ray
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You can purchase bags online or in local stores. Search for the 100 gallon bags at the local groceries in the garbage bag section. Or you can purchase it on plasticmill.com or from Plastics Galore.
Dear Mayor,
Even for that once a week, thank you so much that they pick up our garbage and a great great thank you to the actual individuals who come around and physically take care of our garbage.
Thank you Thank you
Just go online and you will see many different places where the garbage is just piling up and no one is picking it up.
Dear Mr. Mayor,
As someone who makes a living scrounging garbage bins and selling the putrid contents of the bins on the black market and at rest stops and flea markets all across NJ, I am vehemently opposed to having a 2 day a week garbage pickup. Truth be told, I’d prefer if there was no garbage pickup at all – but I know that’s a pipe dream that would never come to fruition.
I often have pleasant dreams when I’m sleeping of garbage bins packed to the rafters, with the slimy and smelly contents overflowing into the streets. I also have pleasant dreams of sanitation departments being permanently closed down. These dreams are some of the most pleasant dreams I’ve ever had. But sadly, when I wake up in the morning, reality sets in and the nightmare begins when I hear the garbage trucks rolling down the streets.
In conclusion Mr. Mayor, I implore you to keep the 1 day a week pickup in place – and I promise you that one day I’ll give you a good price on some freshly rotted tomatoes, removed from the garbage bins on the very same day I put them up for sale. That’s right, I never sell yesterday’s garbage – which is why my customers keep coming back to me for more – because they know who they can trust when it comes to all matters related to garbage, waste and slime.
Couldn’t stop laughing .Your the best . Seriously
Great response Mr Mayor. A quick rinse inside the recycling can each week does wonders to help keep the smell and bugs at bay. Also the recycled items with food in them are supposed to be rinsed before being put in the can as the mayor mentioned. People need to stop asking for more and more township services $$$$ that they can take a few minutes and accomplish on their own.
Dear Mayor Coles,
I realized my & others commute takes so long because of the time we spend getting our morning coffee.
Perhaps you can start a program where we can text the Lakewood Police department with our order & an Officer will pick up our coffees & deliver them to us. The beauty of using the Police is with their lights & sirens our coffee will always be “Piping hot”
Also, when delivering to schools think how excited the children will be to see a Police vehicle.
I understand ethics don’t allow us to tip the officer but the smiles on the children’s faces should be payment enough.
Thank you,
Name withheld for obvious reasons.
Twice a week?
Us Jackonsers, don’t even get once a week from the township.
We get recycling once every other week. We have to supply our own can.
We get bulky pickup once a year (!!)
The town doesn’t supply any garbage pickup. We have to pay private companies for our pickup.
Damaged cans add to the problem.
FYI It is illegal to go garbage picking.
We sell garbage bags for these cans check out plasticmill bags on Google.
Closing the lid may help but it doesn’t keep animals out … squirrels are big rodents and chew their way in
Much of the mess is the squirrels tearing through the bags and often leaving trash outside the bins
How about we start with garbage men picking up what falls out of the trucks and figure out way to not have garbage trucks leaking fluid out of the back and left all over streets to bake in the sun . That’s step one .
The leaking trucks have been an issue for years now and garnage en although they have tough job must clean up or township sed street sweeper to pick up the garbage that’s left on the street when they lift cans into truck and don’t pick up any fallen garbage .
I pay 15,000 year for 6000 sq foot lot, we pay more than enough to get garbage pickup more than once a week but at very least don’t let trucks leave trail of smelly liquid in their paths
I overheard a Yid in Shul say, “When I was at a 4-way stop with everyone honking their horns & the smell of putrid garbage engulfing my car it brought back fond memories of the Alte Heim of Brooklyn.
Why do you want to prevent a fellow Jew from experiencing a little Simcha on the way to work?
Ya”all should remember where you came from , the services you left to move out of this jungle & left us poor folk back here in Brooklyn .Problem is ,” you can’t have your cake , & eat it too” .