WIUM Local
(2007-07-25)
The three sizes of trash carts are in display at the front entrance to Macomb City Hall.
First Ward Alderman Richard Vick says all of the reaction in his ward has been negative. During this week's committee meeting, he read a letter from a constituent who called the carts "huge bulky, and cumbersome." The writer also called the carts "dinosaurs" that would be impossible to push through the snow.
But Public Works Director Walter Burnett says the carts roll and handle easily. He also says half the country is using this type of system.
The city's trash contract with Waste Management expired a few months ago. It's been extended while the city decides what provisions to include before it puts the next contract out to bid. The cart system will be part of the bid specifications.
Additional information:
*The city looked at three trash cart sizes. The 96-gallon container is 43 inches tall, the 64-gallon container is 39 inches tall and the 35-gallon cart is 35.5 inches tall. The largest container will be the standard in Macomb. There could be an option for a smaller container.
*Burnett says the 64-gallon cart is the standard in many communities, but those towns have more robust recycling programs than Macomb.
*The carts are square garbage cans on two wheels. The city has not decided how it will help residents dispose of their current trash cans.
*It's not known how much the new system might cost because the contract has not yet gone out for bid. © Copyright 2013, wium
