The days of trash spilling out of overflowing bins into residential streets may soon be at an end thanks to a new automated garbage collection program set to launch on Labor Day. The Stratford Public Works Department this month delivered a pair of 96-gallon bins to every homeowner as part of the multimillion-dollar program that local officials hope will also make trash pickup more efficient. The receptacles are designed to be automatically emptied by newly upgraded garbage trucks outfitted with special pickup arms, and are large enough to hold up to seven sizable trash bags.
Mayor Laura Hoydick said she believes the town-owned garbage and recycling bins, which were provided to residents at no charge, will ensure households are able to properly discard their waste. As it currently stands, residents are required to procure their own receptacles, which vary widely in size and are occasionally left open while brimming with trash, allowing wild animals to get inside.
鈥淲e’re a shore town and our shorebirds have a penchant for opening up garbage and spreading it all over the place, as do other animals,鈥� Hoydick said. 鈥淚f homeowners can close the top of the can, it won’t be easy for animals to get into the garbage.鈥�