Many years ago, one of the main reasons for the city to collect household waste was the fire danger from the sofas and other waste stored in buildings, like items not being brought to the dump. The fire department ran the effort and it certainly worked well.

However, I believe that all the tree limbs and brush placed on the side of the road, especially in outlying areas, is taking up valuable time away from public works employees and the work they should be doing on the roads. 
If people have that much brush, they should rent a chipper and do their own, hire someone or bring their own brush to the dump or to KTI.

By having the city pick up all that wood, people are taking business away from the private rental companies and businesses that sell that type of equipment. Also, it takes away business from tree and brush removal businesses.

Of course, those who place trees and brush on the side of the road say they pay taxes for having it taken care of. Well, businesses also pay taxes and do not want to lose potential customers. Also, a lot of residents do not have large amounts of trees and brush. A lot of people take care of their own brush and still pay taxes, regardless that the city doesn’t have to handle the job.

Were I in the business of renting or selling chippers, I would stop paying taxes. The city is competing with private business.

Bob Soucy, Lewiston