It was a lot of trash talk.

No, this wasn’t a warmup for banter at the “Salisbury Night at the IronPigs” Triple-A baseball game, 7:05 p.m. June 29 at Coca-Cola Park, Allentown.

They were talking trash at the June 8 Salisbury Township meeting workshop in the municipal building.

The three-year trash contract with Republic Services expires Dec. 31. The township must put out a Request For Proposals.

The last time the township put out an RFP for trash haulers was in 2019, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

The pandemic created challenges not only for Salisbury, but for other Lehigh Valley municipalities and their trash haulers.

The challenges, which are expected to continue, are blamed on several problems, including lack of trash company manpower, higher trash company labor costs and increased trash hauler vehicle fuel costs.

The Salisbury June 8 workshop agenda listed the topic as “Discussion regarding garbage collection bidding options.”

The operative word is “options,” according to Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich, who led the workshop discussion.

“It’s going to be lots of options to give potential latitude on proposals,” Bonaskiewich told a reporter for The Press after the approximate 50-minute workshop discussion about trash-hauler RFPs.

The options, based on the discussion, may include:

•Changing garbage pickup from two-times per week to one time per week.

•Distributing new 65-gallon wheeled trash containers for automatic pickup by a robot arm, also known as automated side-loaders.

Bonaskiewich began the workshop 8:05 p.m.

“The garbage contract is up at the end of the year. Republic won’t extend it,” Bonaskiewich said, noting she had met with Republic officials.

“When we go out to bid, we can add options,” Bonaskiewich said to township commissioners and officials at the workshop. There were no members of the public at the township meeting and workshop. One member of the media, that of The Press, attended.

“I have to develop these specs and go out to bid,” Bonaskiewich said.

“We need to consider what we put in [the RFP],” Bonaskiewich continued.

“The township should consider automated pickup,” Bonaskiewich said.

“They [Republic officials] actually said it [automated pickup] could be done in 70 percent of the township,” Bonaskiewich said.

A 65-gallon blue trash container for automated pickup by a trash hauler truck was on display at the township meeting. A container could be owned by a trash hauler or a municipality.

“I would think the township would want to own them [the trash containers],” Bonaskiewich said.

“If they [the trash hauler] pick up once a week ...” Bonaskiewich began.

“I have no problem with one pickup [per week],” board of commissioners President Debra Brinton said.

“I have no problem with once a week,” Commissioner Alok Patnaik said.

“If they know they have to put it all in there [the container], they are going to be more careful,” Patnaik said.

Patnaik cautioned residents should not put old batteries in the trash. Batteries, when compacted in a garbage truck, can cause a fire.

“Some got no responses to bids. Some [prices] doubled. Some have to go out and rebid,” Bonaskiewich said of other municipalities’ recent experiences with garbage-hauler RFPs.

“I want to revisit what we’re looking for so I can get more bidders,” Bonaskiewich said.

Salisbury, as a first-class township (regarded as an “urban ring” around a city), is required to provide municipal garbage collection.

The rate township residents pay for garbage collection is $93 per unit per quarter or $372 annually.

When Salisbury issued trash-hauler RFPs in 2019, it received seven bid packages, but only two bidders: Republic Services and J.P. Mascaro & Sons. Republic was determined to be the lowest qualified bidder.

“We are considering changes in order to get viable bids,” Bonaskiewich said.

According to a July 20, 2017, Salisbury Press article, a one-year extension of the Republic Services’ refuse-hauling contract was discussed during a July 13, 2017, township workshop. The contract was to expire at the end of 2017. The contract could be extended for two one-year terms. By consensus at the meeting, commissioners agreed to authorize Bonaskiewich to continue the contract with Republic.

Salisbury signed its refuse-hauling contract with Republic Feb. 20, 2015. It went into effect March 1, 2015.

The contract with Republic was for a three-year base bid, March 2015 to February 2018, with options to extend the contract for two additional years, March 2018 to February 2019 and March 2019 to February 2020.

The Republic contract for the first three years increased 2% each year, from $993,762 in the first year to $1,033,910 in the third year. The contract for the fourth year increased 3%, to $1,064,927. The contract for the fifth year also increased 3%.

Salisbury commissioners approved by unanimous 5-0 vote a new refuse-hauling contract with Republic at the Dec. 10, 2020, township meeting.

Because of COVID-19 protocol, the meeting was held in a hybrid-virtual format, whereby township commissioners and officials met in the municipal building meeting room and the public registered via the township website for the Zoom online meeting platform.

The approximate $5 million trash contract with Republic was for three years: 2021, 2022 and 2023, with a possible renewal in 2024 and 2025.

In Salisbury, trash pickup is twice per week, Monday through Friday. Saturday trash pickup was eliminated. Recycling is once per week.

A new service for pickup of household electronics and hazardous waste was added, to be arranged by a phone call to Republic.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners are next scheduled to meet 7 p.m. June 22 in the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The June Salisbury Township meeting schedule includes: 7 p.m. June 14, zoning hearing board; 7 p.m. June 21: environmental advisory council and 7 p.m. June 28, planning commission, all in the municipal building.