In an effort to streamline refuse collection and overhaul the current payment system, the city of Lynchburg will begin its new brush and bulk collection schedule and billing system on Oct. 1. JoAnn Martin, director of communications and public engagement, and Gaynelle Hart, director of public works, presented city council with a plan for communicating the changes to residents and businesses. The efforts include door hangars and brochures that will be distributed around the city, as well as a social media campaign.
With $34,000 budgeted for the communications launch, the department hopes to see increased customer compliance with trash, brush and bulk setouts requirements and a reduction in code violations. As the pandemic transforms spring cleaning into a summer-long pastime, with more people cooped up at home and tossing old clutter to the curb, residents have complained about bulk and brush pileups around the city.
The city’s public works department has seen a tremendous spike in household waste during the pandemic and has struggled to meet the growing demand, according to Hart. The current system allows residents to put brush and bulk on the curb at any time, and she said some citizens put out bulk every single week. “They put stuff out, we pick it up, they put out more right behind us,” Hart said. She said a lot of people abuse the system, leaving “whole house sets” out on the curb. It requires drivers to stay at one pick-up spot for hours at a time.
The new schedule creates a bulk and brush pickup week corresponding with each trash collection day. Brush and bulk can be set out no earlier than 7 a.m. on the Saturday before the scheduled pickup week. For example, if your trash is collected on Mondays, the first full week of the month is your designated bulk and brush pickup day. This will allow city workers to concentrate efforts in one area and will prevent bulk being left on the curb for days or weeks at a time.