PERRYSBURG – Trash is continuing to occupy
the minds of council.At the most recent meeting on Jan. 15, the body approved a slate of ordinances
permitting the city to purchase trucks, toters, and other items to spur forward a new refuse and recycling
service which will debut this spring.Spearheaded by Public Services Director Jon Eckel, the revamped service
will, for the first time, introduce automated trucks into the city’s trash and recyclables collection
methods."I think that everybody out there is going to be well-informed about what we’re trying to
accomplish. It’s going very smoothly," said Eckel at a meeting of the Health, Sanitation and Public
Utilities Committee of council last week.According to a "Frequently Asked Questions" document
posted on the City of Perrysburg’s website, each single family home and multiple dwelling with six or fewer
units will receive a wheeled gray refuse toter and a wheeled blue recycling toter. Each toter is a 96-gallon
size, with a 335-pound capacity.The new toters, provided to residents free of charge, will eliminate the
need to sort recycling, and provide other efficiencies.They are expected to be delivered a few weeks ahead
of the proposed start date for the service: April 22, Earth Day.The move is expected to save the city
approximately $300,000 each year. The system will require fewer refuse workers – jobs will not be cut, but
positions left empty due to attrition will not be filled – and will cost less in workers compensation
claims, helping to make up the savings. Landfill fees are expected to be slashed by more than $280,000 as
well.The ordinances approved Jan. 15 allowed the city to enter into the Buy Board National Cooperative to
assist in the purchase of the necessary equipment, and to purchase vehicle chassis, truck bodies, and refuse
and recycling toters – amounting to approximately $1.3 million as an initial outlay.The city means to
finance the purchases itself, rather than leasing the items from another service as originally proposed,
saving nearly $100,000.Perrysburg is additionally holding informational meetings to get the word out to
residents. The next meetings are scheduled for Feb. 7 and March 7 at 6 p.m. in Council Chambers.