If You Ask Me / By Martha Knight

The county has given up on recycling. It’s up to us.

Not but what county government offices and operation separate the trash they generate, sending only what cannot be recycled to landfill interment, and directing its waste streams of paper and metal and plastic into the appropriate channels. Probably the garden operation at the old county farm (which, for some reason, officials like 20 call the poor farm) composts religiously (in a secular sense). But the county does not have recycling centers at a number of places in the county, as it used to, now that the county does not operate a landfill, and the company that does has not chosen to provide “distributed collection” as used to be done.

For a fee we Port Allegany Borough residents get our garbage picked up weekly, and every other week we get our Zero Sort bins emptied. The fee is, well, Hefty, compared with what it used to be, but we are Glad to have this service. It helps us get rid of lots of the detritus that accumulates as we go about our daily lives.

Not all, though. We can’t put furniture and old appliances and lamps and most construction waste and bathroom fixtures into the garbage can or the dumpster. We can call SDS/Casella and they will pick up such items now and then, but there’s a fee.

Nearby, Liberty Township residents and businesses do not have the convenience of municipally contracted garbage pick-up or zero-sort bin emptying. They can make their arrangements with Casella, but the company’s trucks are too heavy to ply all the township roads. It wouldn’t be cost-effective, for that matter. Residents can bring their garbage to designated pickup places, though.

Wanting to accommodate residents as much as possible, the township supervisors have arranged with Casella to place roll-offs at the township government complex, along Route 155 South. Casella services the containers fairly frequently, although perhaps not quite often enough.

Again, there’s a fee. But the township supervisors have been paying this personally. That is, it is paid for through the township, but the money is “found” in the budget by not paying the supervisors their meeting fee. They are supposed to be paid for attending the township business meetings, at least one a month and sometimes some extra meetings, but currently they contribute that amount back to the treasury to cover Casella’s charges.

That’s how strongly they feel about providing that much encouragement to residents to recycle, and not to dump.

Plus, every spring the township sponsors a cleanup day. For a modest fee, residents can bring in bulkier items, usually in pickup truckloads, and deposit them at the township compound. The supervisors and some staff help out. Usually they about break even when the landfill tipping fees are covered and some money comes in from the metal dealers. (There are efforts afoot to resume spring cleanup in the borough, by the way.)

Does this eliminate dumping over the bank, into the ravine, along the road or in the crick? Nuh-uh. It does help keep things neater and prettier in the township, but so long as trashy folks are scattered through the population, they will demonstrate their generally trashy values by scattering, or depositing, their trash and garbage wherever they please.

Mind you, some of them have a smidgeon of gumption, and they actually take the trouble to transport their (non-qualifying) garbage and trash clear to the roll-off at the township complex. Apparently they don’t want it too close to home.

Knowing full well that the roll-off is not for garbage, or for stuff in garbage bags, or for electronics and appliances, these scofflaws throw such stuff on the ground at the collection place, in the dead of night, like the skulking lowlifes they are, and take off.

The next morning the township supervisors and crew and secretary and Route 144 traffic are greeted by the sight of this mess. Thus do those few ungrateful citizens pay tribute to the people who do the work of running the township!

True, most of the township’s residents are more upstanding than that. They pay their taxes and fees and get their septic tanks pumped and fish mostly in season and take only the limit. Their properties are well kept, and they hardly every have wild parties, poach game or grow pot or distill excessive amounts of hooch.

So far as I know, the ice cream truck person gets a permit for vending out there, and does not cry his or her wares, and plays “Turkey in the Straw” very quietly after crossing into the township, in compliance with the applicable ordinance. Peddlers have couth, in Liberty Township environs.

But there are always those few who either came from barely civilized families, or who were raised to know better but choose to discredit their parents and siblings.

Identifying them might be a matter of sorting through the trash for labels and bills and dunning letters bearing their names, but who wants to handle their yucky stuff?

I’d like to see the supervisors install a security camera or two at the compound. Bag the trash who do make these nighttime garbage deposits! Bet they’d be entertaining on YouTube, and quite amusing in Bill Todd’s court too.

Just a few people of that sort could ruin it for the dozens who make good use of the roll-offs at the township compound.

Past experience with vandalism, committed by a very small minority of the population, has caused the powers that be to fence some of the recreational facilities at Community Park. It’s a shame. It seems to be the general belief that users should pay something for using tennis and basketball courts, just as they do for the pool. But isn’t it a waste to have the facilities locked up so early on warm summer evenings? Still. who wants to take on the job of locking and unlocking?

If only we all were responsible and considerate, honest and law abiding. patriotic and neighborly…But there those few who make it necessary for us to have a police force, criminal courts and a jail, and might defeat the best efforts of the Liberty Township government to eliminate unlawful dumping.

Peace.