Totes rolling out early to make space

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

Charles City residents can expect to see totes delivered to their homes over the coming months, and some prior to the new year.

At Monday night’s City Council planning session, Charles City Administrator Steven Diers said that totes will begin to be dropped off at households in preparation of the switch from bags to totes.

The totes are rolling out before they will be used because, “I have them and I’m running out of room,” said Alan Powell, Jendro Sanitation Service Inc. president. “To fulfill our contractual requirements to Charles City I have to have nine semi (truck) loads of totes, and I don’t have room for nine semi loads of totes along with all the other stuff we have.”

The totes are owned by Jendro and each one will have a separate serial number to identify it and track it by street address.

Residents putting the totes out on the street with garbage prior to the April 1 start date will find the tote still full of garbage the next morning.

“We’re going to start delivering them so I can get them off my site and into the customer’s hand,” Powell said. “It gives me more time to deliver them. It’s hard to get our normal job done in 48 hours let alone extra work like delivering totes.”

Jendro is working with the Charles City Street Department to deliver the totes, and will begin to deliver them on Clark Street then go north.

“It’s so nice to have the street department’s assistance,” Powell said. “I’m not sure I’d be starting this early without their assistance.”

If there is snow or street work to be done the street department will have to pause its assistance, Powell said. Jendro’s staff is preparing for the coming December holidays and welcomes the assistance.

“We’re going to start with the blue recycle totes, then work our way across town with those,” Powell said. “It’s going to take us at least until the end of the year, if not into next year to get those delivered.”

Powell, with the assistance of the Charles City Street Department are delivering totes to more than 2,800 households in Charles City.

“It’ll probably drag into next year,” Powell said. “After that we’ll do the green garbage totes.”

The deadline for all of the totes to be delivered is the April 1, 2018, start date for the new program.

When the totes are delivered there will be a sheet of paper inside showing the recycling routes and when the totes will be emptied, said Charles City Clerk Trudy O’Donnell.

Each part of town will have have its garbage picked up on a different day of the week, and on that same day the recycling will be picked up, but garbage will be picked up weekly and recycling every other week.

“There’s a Tuesday route, a Wednesday route and a Thursday route, and there are certain geographical sections of town that we do on those days,” Powell said. “On Tuesday’s route, we’ll always do garbage on Tuesday, just like we do now, but for recycling Tuesday’s route will be divided in half.”

Each half will have its recycling picked up on alternating weeks.

The Charles City Council approved a contract with Jendro Sanitation to switch to rolling totes for city garbage collection, effective April 1, 2018, at the Oct. 16 meeting.

The orange bags currently being used will no longer be needed unless a household has garbage in excess of the amount that will fit in the tote. Garbage bags will still be available through the city, but not required. 

The new system of garbage disposal involves three sized totes, 35 gal., 65 gal. and 95 gal., and a standard 65-gal.-sized recycling tote.

The totes will cost $12 per month for 35 gal. totes, $15 per month for 65 gal. totes and $18 for 95 gal. totes. There will be no additional monthly fee.

Residents will be able to change sizes up to two times a year.

The city sent out post cards to residents to determine what size garbage tote a household needs. The city is still compiling that information.

“I’m not arbitrarily deciding to deliver one size to one household, and then another size to another household,” Powell said. “It all goes through city hall.”

Everyone will receive a blue 65-gal. recycling tote.

As of now the city has a $6.45 monthly fee for garbage pick-up, and sells bags. Small bags carry 15 gal. and cost $5.70 for five. Large bags hold 33 gal. and cost $7.70 for five.

The deadline to choose which size garbage tote a household wanted was Friday, Dec. 1. Any resident that didn’t turn in their requested size of garbage tote will be issued a 65 gal. one.