Working Together, at Last

Relations between officials of East Hampton Village and the East Hampton Town Trustees, which have been strained by disagreements over garbage cans on the village’s ocean beaches, have been mended.

Diane McNally, the trustees’ presiding officer, told her colleagues at a meeting Tuesday that she and the trustees Tim Bock and Deborah Klughers had met recently with Barbara Borsack, the deputy mayor, and Richard Lawler of the village board, and agreed upon steps to reduce litter on the beaches, which are under the trustees’ jurisdiction.

One result is the addition of a 5 a.m. garbage pickup on the beaches on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. This was implemented about two weeks ago, Becky Molinaro, the village administrator, said yesterday.

“What that does,” Ms. McNally said, “is leave the staff that arrives between 6 and 7 free to do another walk-around, to pick up anything large that might be away from a can.” The beach is raked around 6 a.m., and pickups by beach staff continue throughout the day, Ms. Molinaro said. The village’s Department of Public Works performs a late-afternoon pickup, as well.

“I thought it was really productive,” Ms. Klughers, who has most forcefully advocated for the receptacles’ removal from the sand, said of the meeting. “I still want the cans off the beach, but any progress toward a cleaner beach is a great thing. They are definitely trying.”

The receptacles have also been modified, Ms. McNally announced, so that garbage is less likely to spill out if a can tips over. Stickers will also be affixed to the cans requesting that, if the receptacle is full, beachgoers take their garbage to another one. “We will work with the language to see what fits on the cans,” Ms. Molinaro said yesterday.

“Importantly,” Ms. McNally said, “they are willing to work with us and/or the litter committee on developing a recycling program at road ends. They are willing to put cans specifically for water bottles and other plastics, and going on from there.” The village will take that request under consideration, Ms. Molinaro said, along with another request from the trustees to increase fines for littering on the beaches.