WCA has been collecting residential trash and recyclables in Smithville for a month now, and city and company officials are pleased with the implementation of the new system, which includes two routes running five days a week. According to Smithville City Administrator Steve Garrett, the transition to the community’s new waste hauler has been nearly seamless. “I have been pleased with the rollout of the new trash service since the first of the year,” Garrett said in a press release. “Even previously, as we were educating folks here in Smithville on aspects of the new service and distribution of the trash and recycle bins, I was impressed with WCA’s work. The operation of the truck has been efficient and timely.”
Company spokesman Tom Coffman said WCA officials were also pleased with the launch of the new automated collection system, which provides each household with a pair of 65-gallon carts, one for trash and one for recyclables, and the option of seasonal yard waste collection. Resident Crystal Newton said her family’s habits had changed since the new service started. They are able to recycle more than they did previously, she said. “First of all, because we have a large recycle bin instead of the tiny bin from the last service. And secondly, because the new recycle service accepts so much more in the way of recyclable items,” she said.
She estimated her family went from having five or six bags of trash each week to “maybe three.” Her family of four recycles just about everything WCA accepts, she said. “I recycle newspaper, metal cans, milk jugs, paper boxes of all kinds, water bottles,” she said.
For Trinda Wolfe and her family, it’s a similar situation. The Wolfes recycle a lot of cardboard and plastic bottles, and overall they recycle much more than they did prior to the WCA contract going into effect. “It reduces the amount that goes into landfills, which reduces the cost of waste removal in the long run. Win, win,” she said. “Also, the times that our trash is getting picked up is consistent, and we haven’t had issues with our trash getting blown in the streets/yards.”
Residents can opt out of recycling collection, but few customers have taken that step, Coffman said.
Kelly Carter’s household is among the latter group. “We don’t recycle,” she said. “I know, shame on us.” Her family of four — two adults and two children — requested a second trash can instead. “For some reason we have a lot of garbage,” she said, explaining that they are always cleaning out and throwing stuff away. “We fill both cans each week and (are) looking forward to yard waste pickup when the weather gets warm.”
Carter is happy with the 65-gallon containers’ capacity and sturdiness. “And they don’t blow away,” she said.
Newton shared a similar thought. “I really like the new bins because they are sturdy and won’t blow over during those windy days,” she said.
It appears to be a common refrain among customers. “We are happy with the sturdiness of the new trash cans and how they sustain the windy days,” said Rebecca Bindel.
Her overall assessment of the new service was neutral. She did not like that her trash pickup day moved from Monday to the middle of the week. “I like starting the week fresh. The cost is a little higher too. … That part stinks. Overall, it’s not too bad,” she said.
WCA officials are pleased with the company’s first weeks of Smithville collections. “There were a lot of details to manage before we started hitting neighborhoods that first day,” Coffman said in the release. “We dealt with the assembly and delivery of two carts to each of the 3,500 households, we completed our routing, and we trained the drivers who now work those routes. The new routes caused collection day changes for some residents, so we had to make sure that every household knew when and how to set out their carts. We think the transition to this new contract went about as well as it possibly could have.”
To read the full story, visit http://www.smithvilleherald.com/news/trash-habits-evolve-with-new-service/article_ea948c4c-bb1d-5019-a808-d9b2599396ef.html.