BY JEFF CHUDZINSKINorth Country This Week

MASSENA -- Two village residents voiced their frustrations over trash and recycling pickup in the village, saying Department of Public Works employees are destroying their bins and losing lids during pickups.

Village resident Ronald LeRoux Jr. said he has been forced to replace recycling bins and two lids after DPW crews haphazardly three them down after disposing of the contents.

LeRoux Jr. said on multiple occasions lids were lost or blew down the street because crews "failed to take a second to make sure the lid was put on right."

According to LeRoux Jr., he was forced to buy new bins after he was tagged as having bins that exceeded the village code maximum capacity of 40 gallons.

"I had to stop using my 45-gallon bins. I didn't complain, I went out and bought other ones to comply. But I've bought the smallest ones I could without being destroyed," he said.

“Now, all of a sudden, after using it for two years, my recycling is no longer being picked up out of that,” he said.

Mayor Greg Paquin explained that many residents "were tagged" after one individual felt singled out when DPW crews stopped picking up their trash because the bins were too large.

"Unfortunately for some reason, the garbage men on their own decided to start tagging a few. Then, an individual complained and forced everyone to tag everybody else," Paquin said.

Paquin said he received a number of complaints in recent weeks, with some residents saying that in some cases bins were not only tagged, but trash and recyclables were left in the bin as well.

“It’s unfortunate. I wish they would have been doing this from the word go. It created some strong opinions,” he said.

Paquin said he could only apologize for the inconvenience and damage caused to resident's bins, acknowledging how expensive they are to replace once, let alone three or four times like LeRoux Jr. has had to do.

“I’m fine with having to buy them. But, there has to be some accountability for these men to take care of stuff that’s not theirs,” LeRoux Jr. said.

In an effort to save residents money and aggravation, he asked Paquin if it would be possible to amend the village code to allow for bins up to 45 gallons, like those he was using prior to being tagged.

He said the recyclables would not be that heavy, telling board members that the extra five gallon capacity would not push the bins to exceed the maximum allowable weight.

Paquin said the board will look to amend the code in the future, while also saying that he and DPW Superintendent Marty Miller would have a conversation over the matter.

"We'll have a chit chat with everyone. They know everyone is not happy. So, all I can do is apologize," Paquin reiterated.

Fellow resident Terry DuBray went a step further, saying he would refuse to purchase new cans if the "pattern of carelessness" were to continue.

Though two residents attended the meeting to raise concerns about the destruction of their bins, Trustee Ken McGowan said he has had similar experiences but sought to fix his bins in an effort to save money.

"I've had to tie a rope to my lid so it didn't go blowing down the street. I also use zip ties to hold my bins together. They do work, just a thought," he said.

In response to the situation, village trustees will hold a public hearing on July 16 at 5:30 p.m. to consider changing the size of the garbage cans, Paquin said.

“Specifically, I’d like to see it go up to 45 gallons. I think that’s the one that a lot of people have. Some people probably already have that one out," he said.

Trustees say if the public sentiment is to up the volume allowed, an amendment could be made to the code at the following month's meeting.