Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy skies. Low 61F. Winds light and variable.
Nick King, along with driver Cassidy Eaton, empties trash bins into their Scott Waste garbage truck in the Briarwood neighborhood on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Scott will roll out its new automated curbside service for city residents Monday. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com)
Nick King, along with driver Cassidy Eaton, empties trash bins into their Scott Waste garbage truck in the Briarwood neighborhood on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Scott will roll out its new automated curbside service for city residents Monday. (Grace Ramey/photo@bgdailynews.com)
Called “automated curbside service,” the new residential waste collection system that Scott Waste Services will roll out this week inside the city of Bowling Green is already raising questions for some residents, but Scott’s local management says not to worry.
Scott Waste, awarded in July the exclusive franchise to provide residential waste services in the city, is implementing a system that is a departure from how the company has done business locally for 20 years.
The new system will involve the use of single-operator trucks that use a hydraulic arm to pick up trash that must be placed in the company’s 96-gallon containers designed to work with the automated trucks.
Many city residents already had the containers. Scott has been delivering them to some 7,500 addresses that didn’t yet have them, and that process should be completed in time for the new service to start Monday.
“We’re on track to complete delivery of all new containers this weekend,” said Sam Upperman, Scott’s local site manager. “Residents will need to push those containers down to the curbside on pickup days.”
Upperman said residents should also follow these guidelines to make trash pickup go smoothly:
• Make sure there is at least 3 feet of space between your cart and other objects such as mailboxes or cars.
• The cart should be within 18 inches of the curb and the lid should be facing the street.
• The cart should be positioned on level ground, away from any tree branches.
That’s an adjustment for many city dwellers who were accustomed to the “back door” trash pickup service that Scott had provided in the past and for those who live in areas where street parking and other obstacles could hinder the trucks.
Upperman has heard those concerns, and he says Scott is working to address them.
“Some residents have called in with concerns,” Upperman said. “It will take a few weeks to iron everything out.
“There are some tighter areas in the city, but we operate all over the country. We’ll find ways to pick up the trash.”
Scott Waste, now an affiliate of Toronto-based Waste Connections, had its exclusive city franchise renewed only after a convoluted process.
Warren Fiscal Court’s solid waste committee originally recommended awarding the exclusive franchise to Republic Services, already among the waste haulers that serve county residents under a non-exclusive franchise.
Problems with the timing of Republic’s startup, brought about by Scott’s plan to end its service July 31, led fiscal court to go back to Scott.
Scott’s plan to charge city residents $19.37 per month will mean an initial cost savings for those residents. The company’s management is also promising improved service.
The automated curbside service will be “a more modern waste collection system,” said Steve LaFollette, division vice president for Scott Waste.
LaFollette said there will be fewer trucks on the road and less manpower, but he said each truck will pick up more trash.
And the “back door” service isn’t totally going away, according to Stan Reagan, the county’s coordinator of environmental and technical services.
Reagan said pickups from areas other than curbside will still be available for those with a disability or other valid reason for needing that service.
Pickup of bulky items and yard waste will also continue, Upperman said.
Those items will be collected once a week, he said. Residents will need to make sure any items they wish to dispose of are placed curbside the night before their designated pickup day.
More information about Scott Waste’s new curbside service can be found at the scottwaste.com website.
– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.
New trucks and new 96-gallon containers are on their way as Scott Waste Services ramps up what the company says will be a new and improved tra…
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