By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Town of Berlin will begin offering its residents optional monthly bulk pickups for a fee of $25, officials decided this week.

Starting in September, Berlin citizens with bulk trash to dispose of will be able to pay $25 to have the municipality’s public works team collect and dispose of it. The regular pickups will occur on the second Wednesday of each month, with a limit of four items per household.

The Berlin Town Council approved the motion at its meeting on Monday, Aug. 25. Public Works Director Jimmy Charles said that he has received an increase in inquiries from residents asking for help in getting rid of larger disposable items, which inspired the idea for the upgraded service.

Before this week’s decision, Berlin offered two free bulk pickups a year: one in November and another in April. This practice has been shown not to align with resident needs, resulting in increased calls asking for additional collection.

As such, the town has opted to eliminate the two free pickup days and instead provide the service monthly, charging a fee of $25 to offset the small costs of fuel and other expenses incurred by the effort.

Public works will begin the regular bulk service in September for the $25 fee. November will be the last scheduled free pickup.

Charles maintained that other nearby towns, like Salisbury, Princess Anne, and Crisfield, all offer the monthly pickup options for a fee.

Per the approval, residents can call public works two to three days before the second Wednesday of each month to register up to four items for pickup. The crew will come out on the morning of the designated day. Charles requests that the fee be paid in advance, either by mailing it or dropping it off in person.

Councilman Jack Orris asked that the offering be considered to operate every quarter, at no cost, to collect data on whether a monthly bulk service is necessary.

“I would not want to charge for a year and see how it goes,” he said.

However, Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall argued that a fee should be incurred to avoid disturbing the fiscal budget.

“We have to be careful, because these decisions have an impact,” Tyndall noted. “If there is a cost, a small number of folks are using, it’s important to, not to make money, but to cover the costs of that work so that it is not then passed along as another cost in the general fund budget.”

Natalie Saleh, Berlin’s finance director, added that free monthly or quarterly bulk pickup could increase the amount of bulk coming into Berlin, overloading the trucks and increasing vehicle fuel costs.

Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said that there is a limit to avoid this situation, but that it is an issue that must still be considered when making decisions on trash collection. As such, the new monthly service will come with a small price tag.

The $25 fee is not to turn a profit, town officials maintained. The rate is designed to cover the cost of the offering, now that it will be provided regularly.