Evansville to Automate Trash Service and Simplify Recycling, Lowering Rates
EVANSVILLE, IN – In January 2013, Evansville will begin implementing a new single-container, automated trash service, along with a separate container single-stream (commingled), automated recycling program, which will lower customers’ rates. The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board approved Allied Waste Services’ bid to provide residential refuge collection, disposal and recycling services for 10 years and awarded Allied Waste Services a five-year street sweeping contract. The city’s trash collection, recycling services and street sweeping is currently managed by Allied Waste Services and has been for a number of years.
The new automated trash services and single-stream recycling will be implemented as a phased-in approach for customers city-wide over a period of a few months, starting in January, when distribution of the container carts will begin.
For 2013, the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility Board is proposing a reduced residential waste services rate of $10.65 per month to cover trash, recycling and street sweeping. The current rate is $12.15 per month for trash and recycling services. The proposed rate is subject to City Council approval.
“The more modernized, automated and streamlined service will bring savings to residents,†said Ed Ziemer, deputy director of operations for the Evansville Water and Sewer Utility. “And, we hope the ease of single-stream recycling encourages residents to recycle more, reducing their trash,†he added.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke added, “Another positive aspect of the enhanced recycling program is the jobs that will be created at Tri State Resource Recovery, which processes the City’s residential recyclables.†The Evansville Water and Sewer Utility anticipates eight to 10 new jobs will be created at Tri State
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Resource Recovery, a nonprofit corporation owned and operated by the Evansville Urban Enterprise Association.
Under the new contract, waste services will include:
Residential trash service
 Standardization of residents’ trash containers using a 96-gallon cart (or smaller cart available upon request)
ï‚· One time per week pick-up service
 Automated curb and alley pickup – alley pick-up to be converted to curbside pick-up where conducive
ï‚· Special spring cleanup service (for four weeks in spring)
ï‚· Special unlimited bagged (biodegradable or paper bags) leaf service in fall
ï‚· Christmas tree pickup (with normal trash)
Recycling service
ï‚· 96- or 48-gallon cart with green color-coded lid for recycling
ï‚· Single-stream (commingled) recycling, making recycling easier
ï‚· Every other week automated service at the same location as trash pick-up
ï‚· Additional materials will be accepted for recycling starting in 2013.
Heavy trash services
ï‚· Spring and fall pickup; same as current program
Street sweeping will continue to cover the entire city with downtown business district sweeping once per week; sweeping of main thoroughfares and arteries into the city, including state highways, once a month; and sweeping of residential areas twice a year – once in the spring and once in the fall.
More information
Another sign of service reduction “savings”; a buck and a half. WOW!
And we get to put our 96 gallon trash cans in front of our homes.
Where do our cars go? The automatic lifts take a bit of room to operate.
A “Tip of the hat” to our new Mayor.
A buck and a half is better than a price increase. Everything else is going up, so I will take it.
People in this city will complain about everything.
I have to agree…..and a 96 gallon trash container will be nice for the weeks I’m too lazy or forget to take the trash up to the curb, just hope it has a good strong lid to keep the smell in along with wheels to support all that weight. 🙂
JMHO
Makeing the best of “Progress”, I’m glad a 48gal size will be available. I had figured that leaving the 96ga/Dumpster out in front of the house 24/7/365 was going to be my only option.
Another mistep by our “one term Mayor”!
What an idiot!
This is for the best. I’m glad that the city council is doing something to address waste disposal in Evansville. This really a good development for the city when most cities have big problems with waste disposal. Improper waste disposal can cascade to many problems such as probable flooding, pollution, increased morbidity rate among others. Everyone should do their part for progress.
These trucks that lift the containers above the truck and then upends them are the worst trash polluters out there. On any day when there is even a slight wind, when the containers are upended, inevitably some trash escapes the truck and I have never seen the driver retrieve the pieces that did not make it into the truck. Get ready for a dirtier city/county.
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I see numerous problems with this arrangement. I would rather pay the original fee or even a dollar or two more to be able to have some flexibility with this trash system. Press is right too. There will be no one but the driver to clean up the messes and chances are he won’t see much of the messes that occur. Plus I really must be anal but I would rather sort my recycle. It is much neater for me to store until pickup day and it is no problem to sort. People who use sorting as an excuse not to recycle are really lazy.
Prediction: Since the system is automated, jobs will be lost. Where there are now two people involved, there will be one. I also predict that the unsorted recycling system will result in more of what we set out never making it to the recycling proces but ending up quietly in the landfill.
Allied Waste tried to stick us with the huge, ugly containers when we had issues with them last year, so I can attest to the fact that they are a significant nuisance because of the size. Few people will have a spot where they can easily be stored when it isn’t trash day.
I also predict that the rates will end up going up again.
We’ve gotten along quite well with the regular workers on the route and find that they make sense when we talk. Of all the interactions I’ve had with Allied Waste management, I can’t think of a single time when I could make that same claim.
Forrest D. Poston
Some of this was proposed about ten years ago. For some reason, the idea was dropped. Maybe someone should reprise that thinking.
DOes anyone know if the city is going to require the containers to be stored off the street when not set out for pick. I have some nasty neighbors that leave their trash can out in front of their house by my driveway. The cans have hugh holes in them and any stray animal that can gets into them. I get to “enjoy” the smell when using my driveway. The new can will certainly be an improvement but I sure would like it if the city said they can not be kept on the curb all the time.
As someone has already said, people in this city will complain about anything and everything. That said, this sounds like a great idea to me. I’d much rather haul one large cart to the street than two medium. They have wheels, not difficult to manage. Putting all the recycle into one can is the best news since sliced bread. A 2-week bin of newspapers/catalogs is almost more than I can manage. This will be on wheels…yay!
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