Lansford Borough Council talked trash Tuesday night, specifically about people seeking exemptions from paying their garbage bills.

The borough has been inundated with requests for exonerations from garbage bills since rates went up this May billing cycle, council President Bruce Markovich said.

Council approved a new, five-year, $3.67 million contract with Tamaqua Transfer that nearly doubled the garbage rate from $60 a quarter to $115 a quarter, or $240 to $460 a year.

A discounted rate of $112.70 was offered for early payment of quarterly bills, and council had also approved a penalty rate of $126.50 a quarter for late payment.

“People are claiming they don’t put out garbage. They’re sharing garbage with neighbors, or they’re taking garbage to dumpsters where they work,” Markovich said. “Whatever the case may be, they all want to have their garbage bill exonerated.”

Council needs to discuss the matter and determine what circumstances, if any, would actually qualify for an exemption, Markovich said.

“You have to be very careful with this, or else what is going to happen here if you take too many people off the list, you’re going to have to put up the garbage rates for other people to cover the cost,” he said.

The garbage rate is based on the cost of the contract and the number of households billed, and fewer households would mean the cost would have to increase for everyone who continue to pay, Markovich said.

The borough already factors in $4 per bill to cover the cost of delinquents, or people who don’t pay or are behind on their bills, he said. But that small reserve isn’t enough to cover numerous exemptions, Markovich said.

“We’re going to have to make that up somewhere,” he said.

Markovich urged caution when moving forward with “practical exonerations for some people.”

Resident Tom Vadyak said “boo hoo” on those seeking exemptions, saying it’s in the borough’s rules that they have to pay.

“You’re a resident. The borough has a pickup. That’s the one you have to use,” he said. “This concept that I’m going to share with my neighbor, that don’t cut the mustard.”

Vadyak suggested looking at delinquent accounts, and publishing their names in the newspaper as delinquent, as past councils had done.

“People were flying in here to pay the bill,” he said.

Vadyak told council to check their ordinances and see what the rules are, because he could have taken his trash to work when he worked in waste management, but “what for?” he questioned.

Under the rules, Vadyak said that he was still going to get billed by the borough, whether or not there was trash left outside on his curb, he said.

Council and residents also discussed residents getting their own hauler, which some said was allowed under borough ordinance. However, people were still required to pay the borough for garbage removal, plus the cost of their own hauler, they said.

Resident George Gilbert, who is a candidate for council, said if that is allowed under the borough ordinance, it should be removed and people use only the service that the borough provides.

Vadyak suggested council review the ordinance, or have the solicitor research the matter.