Malta – Malta has officially joined a long list of municipalities that do not offer mass garbage collection on the streets.
Last year, during the pandemic, the town switched from curbside pick-ups to a series of days when residents could carry large items to trash bins. Many did not own a vehicle large enough to hold sofas, construction debris, and other large items. said there wasn’t.
They wanted curbside service restored. But switching to a drop-off system saved the town money, said supervisor Darren O’Connor, and urged people to find ways to make the new service work.
“Try finding a friend with a pick-up. Some people got together and rented a pick-up,” he advised.
Ballston and Clifton Park are now one of the few municipalities in Saratoga County. Self-carry days are becoming more common, with Charlton, Waterford and Stillwater occasionally announcing drop-off dates.
Malta has also stayed away from pickup for the past two years, not just for economic reasons. With less mass pick-up days elsewhere in the county, residents of other towns began to bring goods to Malta and put them on the side of the road. Items that have been dropped will now be discarded.
“People were selling TVs, tires and refrigerators,” O’Connor said, adding that the town eventually took them away. “We have to clean up the town. We can’t turn the town into a pile of garbage.”
Also, people would inspect the items before the town’s courier arrived and remove anything of value, making the pick-up day more expensive.
“We recycle the metal. We get paid for the metal. That money goes into the town fund,” he said. “The money we get for metal doesn’t cover everything, but it does offset it.”
However, after receiving complaints, he said he may change the event in the future.
“I don’t know if we’re going to keep doing this every year or do a hybrid,” he said. “The only problem is that we have older people. I appreciate those who can reach it, but they can.”
This year, residents with a proof of address will be able to drop off bulk luggage at the City Hall Complex at 2540 Route 9 this Saturday and June 12th from 9am to 3pm.
