Trash Talk: Scarsdale Sanitation

After finding a pile of crushed glass and plastic bits in front of my house last week (very colorful, but not what you want on your street) -- I took a photo and went down to the Sanitation office on Secor Road to lodge my complaint.

Nancy at reception was not happy. She called the supervisor, Steve, who came right out to say that he was glad I had reported it, and that he would send someone out immediately to clean it up.

In 20 years living in this community, I have been annoyed to see bits of trash on the streets, paper flying out of the Cushmans (those little carts sanitation uses have a name), and occasionally messy spills near the train station. I never really thought about the job done by the Sanitation Department, so I decided to talk to Benedict Salanitro, who has been the Superintendent of Public Works for the past 18 years.

It turns out garbage collection is more complicated than I realized.

Why does stuff full out of the truck, I wanted to know. He explained that the older trucks have turn- buckles that require a perfect seal. If not tightened enough (yes, human error and/or aging equipment) the result can be liquid or trash (like my little pieces of glass) dropping off the truck. The foreman is responsible for noticing this, and is instructed to send a cleanup crew if he cannot resolve the problem on his own. The Department is working on having hydrolic closers, which would be more effective.

In addition, the Sanitation Department is looking at replacing the Cushmans that we see zipping around town. Parts for these vehicles are no longer available, and the idea under consideration is to use pick-up trucks ("satellite vehicles") that report to the "mother ship" (the big vehicle that we all call a "garbage truck"). The Cushman have been very useful because Scarsdale has always had "white glove" collection, which means that trash is still collected in the rear of the home, with the exception of yard waste, bulk trash and paper recycling. In most towns residents are required to bring all their trash to the street for pick-up. Interestingly, White Plains requires curbside collection, and is using trucks with a robotic arm. (21st century trash collection!). The post-Cushman era in Scarsdale will require more walking, and the expectation is that crews will be working more as teams instead of individually as they work now.

I also found out that Scarsdale Sanitation does not service the commercial establishments, as the restaurants around the train station. Private carters are hired, so any messes (like the five gallons of coffee spilled onto the street that was recently given a violation notice) is as much of a problem for the Sanitation Department as it is for residents.

What struck me was the high level of accountability that Mr. Salanitro expects from his staff. All complaints are logged, and new hires are told that their two priorities are to keep the village clean and to be safe. Hauling trash takes a toll on the body, and probably half of the staff has worked in the village for less than five years.

The conclusion I draw from all of this is that our village is pretty clean, our Sanitation Department works pretty hard and we should not expect the sanitation workers to be responsible for every piece of trash on the road. I would even propose a radical idea: it wouldn't kill us to pick up a bit of litter ourselves, especially if it's around our own property.