Trash problem creates headaches in Greenville

GREENVILLE – It not only smells, but trash is beginning to give Greenville officials headaches from complaints they have received in recent weeks.

“It’s a perpetual problem,” Greenville Town Manager John Simko said this week.

It’s hoped that some of the issues were resolved Wednesday when the board voted to change landfill hours to accommodate more people. Starting June 19, the landfill will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 2 to 6 p.m. Thursday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday until Labor Day.

There appeared to be no solution, however, to a problem with rubbish collection in the Sandy Bay region. The board voted to send letters to residents to explain that it could find no acceptable place for a Dumpster or for the collection of rubbish in that region.

Simko said Sandy Bay residents will be told that if they can find an acceptable place, selectmen will consider it.

Last year, town officials placed a Dumpster across from the Sandy Bay Road, but had to remove it after the Department of Environmental Protection received a complaint about its location. Because the roads in that region are all privately owned, the town cannot risk sending a town-owned vehicle over the road without an easement. If the town’s equipment damaged the road, the town would be liable, Simko said. Selectmen also made it clear this week that property owners or property managers are responsible for the disposal of trash generated in their cottages or rental properties. These are considered business ventures and are not included in the residential curbside pickup of trash. Residents should note that trash should be placed outside for curbside collection on the morning of the collection day, not the evening before unless the trash is in closed receptacles. Problems on Shoals Road and Hyland Avenue have surfaced because animals are tearing apart bags of garbage placed outside overnight, Simko said.