Smithtown selects garbage haulers

Smithtown officials unanimously approved six garbage contracts Thursday totaling about $30 million -- and saving an estimated $3.5 million -- over seven years.

"These collection bids will save homeowners half a million dollars each year for the next seven years," said town Supervisor Patrick Vecchio, adding that homeowners will see savings on their tax bills.

Additional savings will be achieved because haulers will also pick up furniture, which has been done by parks department employees, Vecchio said.

Four companies will serve the town's 12 garbage districts. V. Garofalo Carting Inc. won three of the six bids. Other winners are: Brothers Waste Services, Quickway Sanitation and Total Collection.

The contracts include a provision for the haulers to pick up such large items as mattresses and couches, town officials said.

Vecchio said it has taken up to a week for the parks department to pick up large items, creating an eyesore issue in town. The new haulers picking up furniture during regular refuse pickup days will free up three town employees and equipment, saving the town an estimated $150,000 a year, Vecchio said. "For me, it was not the money, it was the unsightliness of town," he said.

Councilman Robert Creighton, who is challenging Vecchio for supervisor, said, "The price is good, and we are going to save money."

Creighton said the companies chosen were not the cheapest, but they were most responsible.

The new garbage contracts will take effect on Jan. 1. Trash will be picked up on Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays, depending on the district.