The Department of Public Works plans to launch its new system for handling solid waste, bulky items, recycling and yard waste today. DPW Commissioner John Rooney presented the new system to the Public Works and Services Committee on Jan. 14 and then presented it before the City Council on Jan. 21.
Since those presentations, the department’s website on solid waste collection (cityofracine.org/solidwaste) has been updated to include the new waste collection schedule and map and an updated waste collection look-up tool that allows residents to sign up for email and/or text reminders of their collection dates. The city has also sent out pamphlets explaining the new system with the new bulky waste stickers to 26,000 property owners and occupants. On Thursday, Rooney seemed confident the changes, particularly to bulky-waste collection will move the city toward its goals of reducing waste, providing better service and saving taxpayers money.
One of the biggest changes under the new system is how the city will handle waste collection on holidays. Under the old system, a Monday holiday would mean that crews on Tuesday would have to collect in both the Monday and Tuesday regions.
The new system will rotate collection days back, so the area that was picked up on Mondays would be picked up on Tuesday, Tuesday’s area would be picked up on Wednesday, etc. That new collection date would remain until the next holiday, which would move everyone back another day.