Sellersburg council holds workshop to discuss grapple truck

Erik Hackman, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 11—SELLERSBURG — The Sellersburg town council held a workshop Monday evening to discuss large item trash collection with its grapple truck.

Before the grapple truck, residents had to get rid of their large trash items through the town's spring and fall cleanup day, take their large items to large dumpsters at the sewer plant or take them to the landfill themselves.

The addition of this grapple truck will bring a new service to residents for picking up large trash items.

The workshop started discussing how to create the service for the residents of Sellersburg and how they can use it.

"We're (council members) are looking about ways to schedule ahead," said Scott McVoy, Sellersburg council member. "Maybe have an online platform where they can schedule a pick-up."

Examples of what the grapple truck will be used for is picking up old mattresses, couches and other old furniture, trees and their limbs and more. Some items the truck cannot pick up are electronics and chemicals.

To figure out how they are going to implement the new service, the council will have to compare what other communities do that offer a similar service and whether they should charge residents, if there is a charge, how much will the charge be, how to schedule pick-up and more.

"It cost roughly $600 a load to drop off at the landfill," said Brad Amos, Sellersburg council member. "That brings a concern for me... we're going to have to charge something."

Amos added that they could charge $25-$50 for smaller loads, and for full loads they could charge $500-$600. The town does not currently add in the grapple service to the trash monthly pickup fee.

If they were to add it into the trash pickup fee, they have to consider what percentage of residents will use the grapple truck.

"I don't think any member of the town council is in favor of charging a resident for a simple pickup, that's not the design," McVoy said. "This is for abnormal or excessive amounts, which we all know at some point it's going to happen."

A simple pick-up would be calling the grapple truck to pick up a mattress, but an excessive amount would be calling the truck to pick the aftermath of a house remodel.

"Nothing is set in stone... we need to consider what is fair," Amos said.