Monroe's Garbage Problem Is Out of Control

"We've Got a Serious Problem Out There"

Here’s the short version: Marangi Waste Management informed the Town and Village of Monroe late last year that they were picking up more garbage than they were supposed to be, as per their agreement with the Town. The Town of Monroe is in charge of managing the garbage district, which includes the Village.

Because Marangi was picking up more garbage than contractually agreed upon, everyone within the garbage district was asked to put out no more than two 35 gallon garbage cans per pickup.

Village of Monroe Trustee John Karl noted that property maintenance violations have increased “ten fold since the first of the year.” 40 Certified letters have already been sent out since January.

Mayor Dwyer stated that he had a meeting with Marangi and Supervisor Cardone.

He added that this Village meeting that he’s pushing for inclusion in any discussions concerning the Town and Marangi moving forward. He is also advocating for the Village of Harriman to have a say in the discussions as well. (So far, Harriman seems to have its garbage situation under control, according to the discussion that took place at this meeting.)

The mayor also asked for a copy of the original 2008 contract with Marangi, which is something the Village has been asking to review for quite a while now.

Now that Mayor Dwyer finally has that contract, he has some questions:

-What is the total tonnage that is included in that contract that they (Marangi) has agreed to pick up?

-What is the inventory of homes that Marangi is picking up from?

But the real question is …

Is Marangi counting rental properties (both legal and what the mayor referred to as “illegal”) as part of their inventory?

Because if they are, that would explain how the town and village are quickly meeting and exceeding their annual allotments for garbage pickup.

Really what this sounds like, to me anyway, is that the Village and Town have a problem with what the Mayor referred to as “illegal” rentals. Ones taking advantage of the garbage service everyone else is paying for.

During the meeting, the mayor specifically called out properties within the garbage district that are benefitting from Marangi’s services that shouldn’t be.

Mayor Dwyer has asked Code Enforcement and the Building Department to identify what homes are, and what homes are not, listed in terms of who is entitled for garbage pickup.

Marangi has informed Mayor Dwyer that if you put out two garbage bins, and they exceed the 35 gallon edict provided by the town, Marangi will still pick it up as long as there are only two garbage cans.

However, Marangi will not pick up more than that.

As the Mayor pointed out, there are properties within the village that put out ten bags of garbage (for example), and that’s what you’re seeing out in the Village right now in terms of trash that’s not getting picked up.

The mayor stated at the meeting that education could help resolve the situation by letting property owners know about putting out cans, not bags. In fact, Mayor Dwyer has suggested Marangi could provide every resident in the Village of Monroe with two 35 gallon bins to use.

This way there’s no excuse for putting out the garbage in bags, boxes, or anything else.

(There was a discussion here where the Village Board members felt they shouldn’t be telling people what to do, but since people were dumb / selfish enough not to get themselves vaccinated during the pandemic, this really shouldn’t be a huge surprise.

Just over a thousand people, that we know of, died from COVID-19 in Orange County.)

“It’s Very Difficult To Tell An Adult What To Do”

Trustee Karl mentioned the idea of Monroe Village teaming with Harriman and/or other municipalities, and exiting the Town of Monroe’s garbage district entirely.

If the Village wanted to go it alone, or team with Harriman, that means leaving the Town’s Garbage District.

Easier said than done. First the Village would have to get the blessing of Emperor Cardone to do so.

If Harriman and the Village of Monroe bail on the garbage district, the benefit to the town is that the garbage rates may be reduced, while the rates may increase for Village residents.

The mayor also suggested that, if you need more than two Marangi bins, that property owners could pay for an extra one. This way they’re not taking advantage of everyone else who’s paying for their garbage pickup.

The bottom line? It’s going to be a while before the garbage situation gets resolved.

And the actual solution to this problem — cracking down on what the mayor referred to as “illegal rentals” — may take even longer to solve.