Garbage service here is exceptional

To the editor:

In rebuttal to Steve Sebelius’ Wednesday column, “It’s trash day in the great rotten borough,” I can only say: May you wake up with a rotten fish in your bed.

First of all, I have lived in approximately seven cities in the United States and one city in the United Kingdom, and the quality of service in every one of these communities pale in comparison to what we receive from Republic Services.

Let me list a few facts to back up my evaluation:

– The residential pickup charge of approximately $13.54 per month is a bargain.

– Employees are courteous and don’t leave a mess behind.

– Collectors will pick up even oversized and relatively heavy items.

– Even when pickup dates fall on holidays, there is no interruption of service.

As for Mr. Sebelius’ snarky comment referring to the ramifications of once-a-week trash collection – “Important tip when this happens to you: Try to schedule fish night on the day right before trash day, unless you want your summertime garbage smelling like the outer circle of hell” – all I can say is, even people on the lower end of the IQ scale know how to wrap a dead fish in a plastic bag.

John J. Erlanger

Las Vegas

Better solution needed

To the editor:

Kudos to Steve Sebelius for his great Wednesday column on Republic Services.

I presently serve as a delegate on a homeowners association. In no way do we oppose recycling, but, unfortunately, many people do not participate in recycling and have no plans to participate.

Aside from personal opposition to Republic Services’ plan to have less-frequent trash pickup and more frequent recycling collections, there are other issues to be discussed and reviewed. I have written to all of the county commissioners and to the company. I would love to have them visit my community, Painted Desert, to see the problems we have and answer our questions. I was under the impression that twice-a-week pickup was contracted with Republic Service until 2021, and now I learn it’s 2035.

I respect Commissioner Steve Sisolak’s views on many issues, and because a contract is a contract and expected to be adhered to by all parties concerned, yes, “it is what it is.”

Under the CC&Rs of our community, garbage cans must be stored within our small, two-car garages. Many residents prefer to use bags for trash because our driveways are on a small slant and some residents prefer avoiding any chasing of wind-blown cans. If we have excess trash and can’t place trash bags curbside, the desert and privately owned bins could gain in popularity as alternate trash removal options. There have also been issues of placing extra garbage in the bottom of the recycling bin and then placing recyclables on top, resulting in the contamination of that load.

I realize that there may not be a ready answer to all of our concerns. Perhaps there is an acceptable compromise that addresses the concerns of our homeowners living in unique communities like ours and complements the business strategies of Republic Services.

Kathleen H. Biafore

Las Vegas