Columbia Borough Council revisits single-hauler trash collection in the borough

JOE LINTNER | COLUMBIA SPY 

Once again, Columbia Borough Council showed support for transitioning to a single trash hauler for the borough, with one member calling it a priority for the coming year.

A discussion led by councilman Kelly Murphy during Tuesday's workshop focused on whether council will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) and draft a new ordinance to allow the change.

Murphy told council he already located a draft ordinance used by another local borough — one he said would therefore be legal in Pennsylvania — but he wanted to gauge council's interest before investing more time. "If council thinks this is a waste of time, I'm not going to pursue it any further," Murphy said. "If it's something we need to do, then let's get it on the table."

Eric Kauffman, council president, said he previously opposed the idea but that it now makes sense.

The four-minute discussion included specifics that would need to be addressed in the RFP, such as whether the borough would collect fees and pay the hauler directly or require the hauler to bill individual property owners, and whether commercial and residential properties would be served under the same contract.

Council decided to place the single-hauler discussion at the top of the agenda for the April work session.

"It's time for us to get with the rest of the world...Everybody around us, and probably most of Lancaster County, is going to the single-hauler system," Lutz said earlier this year.

Mayor Leo Lutz has been a driving force behind the single hauler idea. In January, he urged council to consider the idea. "It's time for us to get with the rest of the world," Lutz said. "Everybody around us, and probably most of Lancaster County is going to the single-hauler system." 

In 2024, council explored the idea of contracting with a single hauler. At that time, Heather Zink, then borough president, said residents and businesses could save money with a single hauler. Lutz, noting the retirements of two of the borough’s longtime haulers, said, “The time is right."

Lutz opposed using a single hauler a few years earlier, however. In 2019, he said that doing so would put local haulers — some of whom are residents — out of business, adding that in many cases, those companies also employ borough residents. Lutz noted that a single hauler would not be available for special jobs like picking up mattresses or TVs, etc. "You're not going to get a big hauler to do that kind of work, that kind of assistance, for you," Lutz said.