Mayor Pleased With New Garbage Hauler
• But Expected Cost Savings Are Not Being Realized
Jun 19, 2010 – Nutley's new garbage hauling contract has been in place for weeks with no reports of
major disruptions or complaints. Mayor Joanne Cocchiola is pleased with the service so far and had hoped the new deal will bring cost savings to her department and a break for taxpayers. The savings anticipated by the mayor, however, has not materialized.
The low bidder, Future Sanitation Inc., is charging the town nearly $100,000 more than was budgeted for trash collection. Future Sanitation's winning bid was $4,032,000 for three years.
"When we put together the budget toward the end of last year, we anticipated the bid might come in with a $50,000 increase which would have allowed us to lower the budget for 2010," Cocchiola said. "It just comes down to rising costs for garbage pickup. We hoped it would be lower but it's very close to what we had
budgeted."
As for the service of the new hauler, Cocchiola said she has been kept an eye for problems throughout the community 'and so far there have been no major complaints. They may have missed a spot here and there."
Since the lowest responsible bidder must be selected by law, Cocchiola said the
township is lucky that a bid came in so low.
"Some of the bids were higher than that what we had budgeted," she said.
The bids contained specifications for alternativeS that would have changed
trash collection in the township drastically.
"We looked at collecting once a week in winter," Cocchiola said. "Some of the bids
for once a week were higher. Apparently it's not cost-effective to come to town just
once a week."
Still, she said, she had to do her due diligence.
"We had to examine all the bids," Cocchiola said. "This contract for three years was
best."
A familiar name in Nutley trash pickup, Marangi of Paterson, was very close behind
the winning bid, at $4,049,000. There were four other bids, from $4,399,519 for
Interstate Waste Services of Ramsey, to $4,946,760 from Joseph Smentkowski, Inc. of
Secaucus, $4,955,000 of Waste Industries of Elizabeth, $5,253,000 for F. Basso, Jr.
Rubbish Removal of East Newark and the highest bid, $5,558,280 for Waste Management
of Ewing.
The township had to enter into a temporary trash removal arrangement after problems
with the previous hauler, and Cocchiola said she had to take the necessary time for
a permanent contract.
