GREENFIELD — The Department of Public Works is researching the benefits of instituting a one-sided trash and recycling pickup program, meaning some residents would have to carry their trash across the street.
DPW Director Don Ouellette is on vacation this week, but Office Manager Janine Greaves said the department is handing out a survey to get feedback from the public.
“I don’t want people to panic and think we’re going to do it,” she said. “We’re just trying to find out how the residents feel about it.”
According to the DPW, one-sided pickup would save the town 30 to 40 percent on fuel, mileage and collection time, and would also have environmental benefits. Major, high volume roads such as High, Main and Federal streets would be exempt from the program.
Greaves said the feedback she’s heard so far has been mixed. Some residents, such as the elderly, may not be able to carry their rubbish across the street while others are concerned that placing trash in front of a neighbor’s house could cause arguments if that trash got strewn across their yard by an animal or the wind.
Surveys can be obtained at the DPW, Transfer Station or online at: surveymonkey.com/r/TVDRBHR