I would like to thank the citizens of Mount Vernon for their collective efforts to transition the trash/recycling process for our community. The system wide City decision to get away from the 35 year tag system and go to automated curbside pick up was studied for three years. This change impacted over 1300 residential and commercial customers starting on July 1. I know the bin delivery by a third party was a little rough but, with very few exceptions, everyone’s items were picked up from week 1 and continue to be picked up. Thank you to City Hall staff who took many calls the first week. Most of those calls involved the changing of bin sizes, which is natural during a transition.
In checking with Matt Pivit, the Services Manager for Republic, there are a few reminders and information to share.
• Have the totes face the street as indicated on the bin lids.
• Leave 3 ft. between bins placed at the curb to allow access for the grapple arms.
• Have all garbage bagged up and then placed in the trash tote.
• The service window starts at 6 a.m. with the same driver starting with trash pick-up route and coming back later in the day for recycling. Leave the bins out until they are serviced.
Matt shared that his plant manager has told him that the recycling loads have been good-meaning that Mt. Vernon is RECYCLING CLEAN. Don’t put questionable items in recycling. Control the contamination rate by not “wishcycling”,which means putting things in recycling people think should be recyclable and just hoping they are.
The City realizes we have several open items in this area. GLASS IS TRASH, at least for now as we try to find a company that will take non deposit glass. Take your DEPOSIT glass to the Booster Club trailer, currently at M&K Dust Control. Beginning the weekend after Labor Day, if you have blue bins from the old system that you’ve not recycled, leave them, cleaned out, at the swimming pool parking lot. They will be delivered to a plant in Clinton and recycled. And for food compost, a personal project of mine, we are still working on a customer drop off site at the Bryant Road public works site and will announce when we are ready to accept. In our study of all the waste streams, in was not economical for curb side pickup of compost at this time. A site for accepting drop off of compost is coming as we develop the Bryant Road site so stay tuned for more on this topic.
There are two lesser known services that are also being offered by Republic and the City. We will take a bulk item like furniture, at no charge, with the normal trash collection IF CALLED IN AND SCHEDULED IN ADVANCE. Appliances and electronic waste/TV’s are serviced the first Wednesday of each month and must be scheduled with a billing of $25 each.
The customer service # for Republic is 563-332-0050. Thanks for your patience and understanding through this system wide transition.