Town Board thinking garbage district for downtown
Riverhead has had a residential garbage district for years, wherein residents pay for curbside trash and recycling pickup in their tax bill. The Town Board is now considering creating a commercial garbage district that would serve businesses in downtown Riverhead.
Councilwoman Jodi Giglio at a recent Town Board work session said that many downtown businesses don’t have room on their property for dumpsters, and dumpsters that are there end up being overloaded, with garbage spilling out of them.
Mr. Walter said his predecessor, former supervisor Phil Cardinale, created the problem by refusing to allow private trash bins on town sidewalks or parking lots downtown. Mr. Walter said he’d prefer to just change the town code and allow dumpsters on town parking district property, since the property owners within the district already pay parking district taxes.
Ms. Giglio said the town’s code revision committee has discussed this proposed solution, as well as allowing private carters to bid on commercial districts downtown. The company would then create a fenced-in dumpster-holding area that the district taxpayers would share communally.
Mr. Dunleavy said the parking district advisory committee supports the idea of a commercial garbage district because its members feel it will clean up downtown. But Ms. Giglio said not every business needs a dumpster, and owners of those that don’t oppose having to pay a new tax. Mr. Walter said he also opposes establishing a new tax, but he likes the idea of a centralized dumpster corral.
