http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=071125_1_A19_hAmem47740Tulsan trashes weekly trucks By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
11/25/2007
A member of a pilot program for garbage pickup says he wants the old service back.
Tulsan Sid Parker wants city officials to return his twice-a-week trash service. His Florence Park collection route is among five that have been converted to a once-a-week, cart-based service as part of a pilot program. "I gave it a try," he said. "I think there are a lot of problems with it. And I think I speak for a lot of my neighbors when I say that."
This week, the city's trash authority and Public Works Department will try to convince the City Council to allow the program to continue indefinitely on the five test routes. It includes 1,855 households in the areas of Florence Park North and South, South Peoria Avenue, Swan Lake and Sheridan Hills South.
Over time, officials hope to phase it in across the city. But Parker is leading the charge to see that doesn't happen. "Really, the price difference isn't worth the cut from twice-a-week service to once a week," he said. The program's monthly curbside service fee is $12.37, which includes recycling pickup, regardless of whether the customer chooses to recycle. Each residence was provided with one 96-gallon, wheeled trash cart and an 18-gallon recycling bin.
By comparison, the fee for the city's standard twice-a-week curbside service is $13.44, plus a $2 optional recycling charge, and customers provide their own trash carts. Responses to surveys on four of the pilot program routes show that 78 percent like the new service and 69 percent said it has encouraged them to recycle more. But only 33 percent of participating households had to respond to the survey for it to be considered valid.
Parker said he responded but believes many of the neighbors he has talked to did not. "I don't think that survey is an accurate representation of how people truly feel," he said. Among the complaints Parker said he's heard is that the carts, when filled, are difficult to navigate down the area's single-car, sloping driveways. This is true especially for elderly residents, he said. For large families, 96-gallons can fill up rather quickly, Parker said.
And if a resident forgets to put out the trash, they would have to wait a full week before another collection, he said. Concerns also have been raised about the odor from a week's worth of trash and animals getting into the carts, despite the lids. "I'm sure there are exceptions to all of these," Parker said. "But, bottom line, people really like the twice-a-week service we had before."
Public Works field customer services manager Frank Erwin said every effort is being made to address concerns. While most of the city has twice-a-week service, an area known as the northwest quadrant, serviced by city employees, has had once-a-week, cart-based service for years. "This is the type of service that is most common throughout our area and the country, so it has been proven to work," Erwin said, adding that it takes some getting used to. Some of the cited benefits include reducing the wear on streets by trash trucks and limiting workers' injuries by using mechanical lifters with the carts. "I think what people need to realize is that, in this program, there are still a lot of options available to them," Erwin said.
Q&A
Here’s some of the frequently asked questions regarding the once-aweek, cart-based trash service:
— The 96-gallon cart is too big for me. Can I get a smaller one? Yes. A 64-gallon cart is available by request but it does not reduce the service rate.
— How many bags of trash can I set out with my cart? A dozen. This mirrors the six bags per collection that the twice-aweek areas have.
—If I fill up the 96-gallon cart, can I set out my other trash cans? Yes.
— If my once-a-week service falls on a holiday, will I have to wait another week for collection? No. Another service day will be scheduled for the same week.
— Is backyard collection available? Yes, at a cost of $16.22 per month.
— I am designated as a low trash generator through my water consumption. Will that still apply? Yes. The low trash generator curbside rate is $10.16 and the backyard rate is $15.04.
— What if I forget to set out my trash? Officials are discussing the possibility of having trucks return for the people who forgot, but that would be at an extra fee.