The Worthington Times

The era of free trash dumping during the first full week of May is over in Worthington, at least for this year.

Residents will likely be doing some spring cleaning around their properties, like always, but they'll have to find another way to get rid of their trash - the Town will not be providing free dumpsters as they have in the past.  

The tradition of a "Pride Week in Worthington" began early in the 1990s as a way to encourage community spring cleaning. It was sponsored by the Worthington Town Council. During the first full week of May, the Town provided dumpsters where residents could dispose of all kinds of trash at no charge. Many years, they also provided a pickup service for those who did not have a way to move larger items to the dump site. From tires to old appliances, broken tables, ugly couches and plain old garbage, the Town accepted almost any kind of trash people wanted to dump.

The cost to the Town was around $2,000 when it first started but that figure grew to $4,000, then $6,000, then $8,000. The rates the town paid kept going up as did the amount of trash being dumped.

Last year, the town disposed of 14 huge 40-yard dumpsters worth of trash plus a large number of appliances, old tires and other items.

At the April meeting of the Town Council, the cost of sponsoring the free service this year was estimated at close to $10,000.

Council President Hal Harp commented, "We simply can't afford it this year," and the vote was unanimous to avoid this expense in 2008.

Whether the Town decides to provide the service again at some point in a future year is anybody's guess.  For now, the Greene County Recycling Center, located south of the Lighthouse, provides options for getting rid of things that won't fit into the weekly trash bin.