A nearly standing room crowd of Franklin Township residents came prepared on Tuesday night to argue with township supervisors about retaining township employees to continue hauling their trash.

Chairman Rod Green said that supervisors had opened bids to hire an outside hauler for solid waste earlier in the day and rejected them after determining that the only way the township could save on hiring an outside hauler for garbage was to adopt a five-year contract.Byron Long, supervisor, said that the township will continue to haul its own garbage as it seems to be the most cost effective way at this time.Last month township supervisors had said that two, possibly three, Franklin Township sanitation workers could lose their jobs if outside collection services were hired.Green said that idea to bring in an outside hauler was part of the township supervisors' three-point plan to contain costs for garbage collection.Green said that the first part of the plan was to secure a recycling program, which they did by contracting with Solomon Container Service of Wilkes-Barre."Our recycling program is working well," Green said. "It is saving us money. We'd save even more money if more people in the township would recycle."Supervisors signed a one-year agreement with Solomon Container Service to provide single stream recycling to the residents of the township.Because there has been some contamination with garbage this past year, supervisors announced last month they will be installing video cameras and approved paying $6,000 to have them installed.The second point was to find a different dumping site.Supervisors voted to hire McAuliffe Hauling and Recycling Services, doing business as Advance Disposal Services of Walnutport, as its local transfer station.The third point of the plan was to study whether an outside hauler would be cost effective."We were being responsible," Green said. "We were doing our job. We wanted to save the township money, but at this point it's not feasible."Jonathan Gula and Dave Hawk, township residents, both made comments to continue using township employees to haul the township's garbage."We're used to the quality of our garbage people," said Hawk, who was concerned about security. "What would happen if outside haulers realize that it is a vacation home or someone had gone away for an extended vacation?"Hawk also said more people should recycle to help contain costs.Gula suggested that the township sell its old garbage truck to save costs."That thing is rusting away," said Gula. "You were offered $6,000 for it a few years ago and you rejected it and now it just sits there."