Allied Waste will replace residents’ blue 18-gallon recycling containers with a 65-gallon tote on wheels. Mayor Mary Graves said residents who do not want the larger container should notify the city they want to keep their smaller containers. She said the every-two-weeks pickup will still take effect.
Allied will provide a second free 65-gallon tote for any family who believes it will overflow the first in the new two-week pickup interval.
City Manager Mark Schlagheck said the city’s informal survey showed 85 supporters for the change with 28 opposed.
Some supporters said there will be less truck traffic on roads, and the new totes hold more material, have lids to prevent recyclables from blowing away, wheels for easier moving and a list of acceptable materials on the lid.
Opponents spoke of problems keeping track their pickup week and finding a place to keep the larger container.
Allied Waste had planned a 3 percent rate increase (not to individual residents) in 2011 if the new recycling plan was not adopted, Schlagheck said. Now the city’s rate will remain steady at $13,000.
Residents’ trash rates increased in 2008 and 2009 to $17 per month. That rate is still below what Centerville and Kettering residents pay for roughly similar service, and Schlagheck said no change is expected in the next five years.
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