To the editor:

At Monday’s Town Council meeting in Portsmouth, a request was made for the cost of the transfer station be included in our tax rolls (it was removed in 2006). Trash collection is an essential service, and it should not be cost-prohibitive for any resident. Charging seniors, single mothers, disabled or homebound residents, or anyone, $300 or more per year to bring their garbage to the station is not a good solution and this increase in fees will lead to even more “sticker fraud.”

There is another side to the issue. I’m one of the people that answered the online survey, pays $700/year for curbside pickup, will continue to do so, and was not able to attend the previous trash meetings. But I am not alone. There are thousands of Portsmouth residents for whom hauling garbage to the dump weekly is not possible or practical. As I reviewed the proposals the town received, it became apparent that we could greatly benefit from a town contract for curbside pickup as well — allowing residents to opt in or opt out of pickup, at their own added expense.

On my street, we have a different garbage truck coming by almost every day of the week. It’s loud, stinky and terrible for our roads. A town contract would reduce that disturbance to once a week and provide a more efficient service.

Some of the haulers from whom I received quotes do not collect recyclables separately. Which, as I understand from RIRRC, means they most likely do not recycle at all. A town contract would ensure everyone’s recyclables are being collected separately.

And, allowing residents to purchase curbside service through a town contract will save thousands of our residents money by getting us all a "co-op" rate. For the town, the curbside service would pay for itself in a system that is much easier to ensure those who use the service, pay for the service.

The transfer station has been selected by our town council as the “official” service and should therefore be covered by our taxes. But the transfer station is not a good solution for many of our residents and the town should give those residents the option to purchase “stickers” for our curbside pickup. This way, our town can meet the trash collection needs of all our residents.

If you want a better solution for trash collection in Portsmouth, please let our Town Council know!

Daniela Abbott

52 Ladeira Ave.

Portsmouth