By:Jennifer Marino
The two villages drop off their garbage in Rockville Centre, and then Rockville Centre uses its trucks to transfer the garbage to American Ref-Fuel in Westbury. This helps Lynbrook and East Rockaway save on man-hours and fuel costs. Rockville Centre would be making the trip anyway, and the agreement allows the village to fully utilize its transfer station.
Rockville Centre produces a lot more garbage than the other two villages and has its own trailers to haul the garbage to Westbury. East Rockaway has given Rockville Centre a lump sum of $150,000, which will probably be put toward buying a new trailer. Garbage trucks cost between $150,000 and $180,000.
East Rockaway will also pay Rockville Centre about $25,000 a year, so Rockville Centre will generate revenue from this agreement, according to Village Administrator Ron Wasson. East Rockaway, in turn, can use its personnel more efficiently and possibly cut down on overtime. Since the villages are so close to each other, they can use the same radio system, and Rockville Centre can call for the East Rockaway trash when it is ready to bring it to Westbury.
Also on the garbage front, Rockville Centre plans to buy a radiation detector to use on trash to prevent the village from accepting any radioactive materials. Twice in the past two years, radiation was found on Rockville Centre's trucks when they arrived at Ref-Fuel in Westbury. The trash was medical waste that came from Lynbrook.
When radiation is found on a truck, the vehicle has to be put out of service for six weeks to two months. The state Department of Environmental Conservation has to be called to inspect the truck and dispose of the material. Radiation detectors will prevent this from happening.
