Enforcing impartiality in the levels of refuse service and the monitoring of citizen participation in recycling programs in Centre County will now be addressed by an ad hoc committee.

The Council of Governments set the ad hoc committee in motion last night at its public service committee meeting.

The motion was made for advancement of the committee under the direction of Chairman Janet Sulzer because residents are not following the guidelines of the recycling bill.

Some Centre County residents, dissatisfied with pick-up service prices and the fact individuals cannot chose a trash hauler, have chosen other methods of refuse disposal -- such as dumping it in places such as mountainsides and neighbors' empty trash bins, said Merle McCalips, chair of COG and supervisor from the Harris township.

"I received 10 letters and several phone calls from citizens who were opposed to the refuse collection for various reasons," Jim Steff, director of the COG, said.

One concern was that not every household can fill the four-can maximum.

"I don't think that it is right that they should have to pay the same price if they don't fill the trash bags all the way," said Richard Tate, owner of Richard M. Tate's trash service. Tate voluntarily offers different prices for different customers.

However, the public service committee is not in favor of that type of option in the motion because of a possible impartiality problem.

"The general public is confused about recycling. They thought that it would be free, and now that they are separating and actually paying a higher fee for their trash, they are angry with the haulers," said Tate.

The fee residents pay for hauling has increased almost 300 percent since the $7 charge in 1985, Steff said. The present fee is $18.25.

Centre County licensed haulers must pay a tipping fee to the county according to how many tons of trash they dump and "have to incorporate in our fee to the citizens a charge for the recycling," Tate said.

Jack Carson, of Carson's trash service, said he has already lost over 400 customers since the beginning of this year due to the recycling hassles.