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He stops smoking for Toys for Tots By: Stephanie Szozda Press staff writer
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If he is right, you will have more control over your health care. John Szozda See page 12
Toys for Tots shopping spree well earned
Andrew MacRitchie of Northwood with friends and pledges Andy Zablocki and Amy Brickner load up their carts full of Toys for Tots donations as promised, after Andrew's one month smoking cessation challenge. (Press photo by Stephanie Szozda)
New septic system rules
Owner to stop pumping service By Larry Limpf News Editor news@presspublications.com With new rules for septic systems set to go into effect in Ohio, one business owner says the rules place his company in an untenable position and he’s decided to stop offering residential septage pumping service. Mick Torok, of N.A.T. Transportation, Inc., Bradner, O., said the rules jeopardize loyalty between his company and its customers and he doesn’t plan to obtain the license for the pumping service after Dec. 31. The new regulations, he said, place a greater licensing burden on septic haulers such as N.A.T., which will result in higher costs, but they also require haulers to report septic systems not in compliance with the regulations to county health departments. Torok said the reporting requirements will be a key to locating non-compliant systems. “We must be able to provide undivided loyalty to our customer,” he said. “The re-
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We simply can’t live up to the expectations of the health department and satisfy the loyalty the customer expects.
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Andrew MacRitchie, 28, of Northwood toyed with the idea of quitting smoking for some time but he knew he needed a little something extra to motivate him if he was going to stick it out and quit for good. “It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a while, mainly health reasons. It was really starting to take a toll. I’ve smoked for almost 10 years now and it was time to quit,” explains MacRitchie. “For the last two years I said I have to quit soon but I would kind of stop for a couple days, then start back up then stop for a couple days then start back up. But November 4th I said, `It’s official. I’m done.’ I put my foot down. There was nothing that happened right around November, I just decided why not now,” he added. For extra motivation, MacRitchie decided that he would quit smoking for the month of November and use all of the money he saved not smoking to buy toys for needy children. MacRitchie went to Smoke Revolt in Oregon and purchased a Tornado E Cigarette to help him with his nicotine cravings. Being a pack a day smoker quitting was going to be no small feat and the savings no small sum of cash either. He calculated that over the 28 days from that morning to his December 1st shopping date he would save $147 and this became his donation pledge. MacRitchie knowing very well how magical Christmas can be for kids decided Toys for Tots would be the perfect motivation. “We always had amazing, amazing Christmases as kids. My parents worked hard and would usually go a little overboard. I remember how magical and awesome that was. So, that’s why I always remember to make sure to buy at least one toy each year to help someone. So I figured, you know what, why not? One toy is good, but $147 worth of toys is way better.” To gain support and courtesy from those friends still smoking, MacRitchie turned to Facebook to make his pledge pub-
porting requirement places this loyalty in question by creating a conflict of interest, which can not be resolved. Our customers are our friends and neighbors. We cannot and will not operate under these conditions.” He estimated pumping residential septic systems is about 20 percent of his business. The company, which operates in Wood, Sandusky, Seneca and Hancock counties, has been providing the service to
residential customers for about 35 years. “Our main business is hauling household trash. Pumping septic systems was an add-on business but it became extremely popular up until about eight years ago when sewers were installed in a lot of small towns,” Torok said, “We could have a trash customer that’s perfectly happy and maybe in five years they need their septic pumped and call us and find out what’s going on and we’d lose the trash business and everything. We simply can’t live up to the expectations of the health department and satisfy the loyalty the customer expects.” He’s been to Columbus to air his views on the pending rules and acknowledges some changes were made by lawmakers but “…for the most part the hauler becomes the agent of the health department.” “There are residential systems installed prior to permitting (in the 1970s) and they’re perfectly good, functioning systems,” Torok said. “But the fact you have to report information on them may bring an order or citation from the health departContinued on page 2
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