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Leaders weigh waste service for unincorporated areas

By WILL VAN SANT
Published January 18, 2006

CLEARWATER - County leaders are exploring whether some neighborhoods in unincorporated Pinellas County want consolidated garbage collection.

Currently, residents in unincorporated Pinellas choose their own waste hauler and pickup day, unless their homeowners association has signed a pickup contract for the neighborhood.

The existing approach allows consumers great flexibility, though some pay more for garbage collection than others, even from the same company, and some neighborhoods have garbage cans on the street every weekday.

The alternative is creating a special taxing district to pay for neighborhood collection, as recently happened in east Lealman, and asking waste haulers to bid on providing services in the area.

That could lead to more predictable, better regulated and lower cost collection and would make cleaning up debris after storms more straightforward, officials say.

But support may not be widespread, Walter Klages of Research Data Services told commissioners Tuesday. A telephone survey of about 1,500 households in unincorporated Pinellas in the fall found that nearly 80 percent of respondents said they liked the current system.

After the unified service plan was described, more than 55 percent expressed support, but that number fell below 50 percent when learned they couldn't choose their pickup days and would have to use uniform garbage cans.

Board members asked Klages to study the results to find out where support for unified collection is strongest.

County administrator Steve Spratt said Pinellas has no intention of making a profit from franchise fees generated by a unified collection plan but wants to make sure that those unhappy with the current system have a choice.

[Last modified January 18, 2006, 01:10:21]