Cranbury Trash Collection on Nov. 8 Ballot

Cranbury residents will be asked to vote Nov. 8 if they want the search to continue for a township-wide garbage collection company.

A subcommittee sent out a request for proposals in the past several months to 18 garbage companies and three responded, however, none met the Townships requirements, committee member David Cook said.

A new search process could begin if voters pass the referendum, Cook said. Voters would have to pass the referendum with 70% of the vote.

“Personally I think it’s [passing the referendum] a good idea because we spent time looking into this,” Cook said during Monday's Township Committee meeting. “It looks like we’re going in the right direction cost-wise. We’ll see what residents think on Nov. 8.”

Cook said the proposal would include a single provider. The residents would pay the Township and there would be a fixed price for a five-year contract.

The annual cost per household would be under $200 per year for garbage pickup according to the bids received from Central Jersey Waste and Recycling, Midco Waste and Waste Management, Cook said. This is roughly $100 less than the lowest carrier in Cranbury is currently charging, according to Cook.

“We thought that we would save money each year,” said subcommittee member Richard Callan.

Cook said there was a mixed response from the public regarding his presentation and that that is why the referendum is so important.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the three RFPs were inconclusive. We’ll see on Nov. 8. That’s when it will be decided,” Cook said.