A new solid waste committee already has proposed changes to Brainerd’s garbage collection process after just one meeting. The committee was formed in September after discussions on how to handle various complaints about garbage bins being left out long after collection. Made up of city staff, city council member Jan Lambert and representatives from Waste Partners, Waste Management, Nisswa Sanitation and Pequot Sanitation, the group plans to meet at least yearly to discuss solid waste and recycling issues in the city.
After meeting Oct. 1, the group proposed several changes to city code regarding public health and garbage disposal. The council approved the first reading of an ordinance amendment Monday, Oct. 20. First, instead of allowing both street and alley pickup, the ordinance will change to only allow alley pickup, unless no alley is available. Haulers must also provide their pickup schedules and a list of addresses mutually agreed upon with the city that do not have alley pickup available.
“All the haulers stated that they have one or two days that they pick up all of the cans in Brainerd, and they’re just generally split by Washington Street,” City Engineer Paul Sandy told the council Monday. “And so, what we figured is that if we know that Waste Partners picks up north of Washington Street on Mondays and there’s a Waste Partner can out on Thursday and we get a complaint about it, that that person would become part of our administration citation process.”