City commissioners promised to be deliberate in making any changes to the city’s trash system, as sanitation workers filled City Hall on Tuesday evening.
After hearing multiple concerns from employees of the city-operated trash service, commissioners directed staff members to prepare a report outlining different options for changing sanitation operations.
Commissioners left the idea of perhaps privatizing the service as an option, but said they by no means were convinced that was the direction the city should go.
“I just want to see some information about what our options are,” said Commissioner Rob Chestnut, who asked the commission to discuss the future of the trash service.
City Manager David Corliss said it would take multiple months for staff members to develop a “menu of options” for future trash service changes. That report then likely would be presented to a task force that would provide feedback.
Corliss said the report could include discussion of new technologies for trash trucks, rate changes to charge people based on how heavily they use the system, and perhaps even mandatory curbside recycling.
Corliss expects to provide an update on how the report is progressing by the end of the year. Trash issues have come to the forefront at City Hall after landfill rates have increased by about 30 percent and after Deffenbaugh Industries began operating an aggressive curbside recycling program in Lawrence earlier this year.
l In other City Hall news, street parties near the Oread hotel may not become the next new tradition on Kansas University gamedays.
Commissioners were told that last Saturday’s street party event at The Oread — 12th and Indiana streets — went fine. But now hotel leaders say they’re not sure they’ll do the parties during each home game.
Hotel general manager Nancy Longhurst said last weekend’s event showed that people primarily were interested in celebrating inside the hotel or on the hotel’s many terraces and patios.
As a result, the hotel has canceled the street party event for this Saturday’s football game, although indoor activities will be available. Longhurst said the hotel will notify the city and the neighbors if it plans to hold another outdoor event in the future.
Comments
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timetospeakup (anonymous) says…
Charging by the bag would be disastrous in Lawrence. With so many apartment dwellers that move yearly, the amount of unclaimed trash that would end up in dumpsters or curbs other than where it belonged would be even more staggering.
Boston_Corbett (anonymous) replies…
Exactly.
sundowner (anonymous) says…
I have family in CA, TX & Germany and all of them are required to put their trash & recyclable items in poly carts provided by the service provider. One cart for recyclables & one cart for trash is charged at a flat fee . If additional trash carts are needed , they are charged extra. No plastic bags or store bought cans. Simple.
impska (Sarah Stratton) replies…
It's really not a bad idea. Between a recycling bin and a trash bin, few people would generate enough trash to go over, so it's not unreasonable to expect those few to pay for additional bins. The city already subsidizes home compost bins, so that option is also in place for people who want to reduce their trash output.
As for apartment dwellers, cities with these kinds of policies generally charge a different fee to owners to exempt them from the regular city trash policy.
notyourmom (anonymous) replies…
I like this idea. I lalready recycle. Now that I do, my trash is really heavy so I like the idea of size more than weight, and as long as I can get it in my container then I have no need to add my trash to my neighbors pile if I have more than the amount of bags then I want to pay for. Nice.
not_holroyd (anonymous) says…
Can we start by imposing a trash fee on 1200 Louisiana block?
tanaumaga (anonymous) replies…
no
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) replies…
demolition permit would be better for that block.
toe (anonymous) says…
Privatization will not happen. Lawrence prefers government workers.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) replies…
good point, liberals do not fire liberals. see what has happened to the ballooning of the school district, lots of phat there too,
keepingfingerscrossed (anonymous) says…
it is best to lesson to the people that know about kansas city trash. how it was left behind because it is a lot of work and deffenbaugh can't do it. so now lets find those people to pay big bucks to find out that we do the best job. that is the lawrence way, and we don't have enought money now go figure.
workinghard (anonymous) says…
Interesting fact on city employee's health care insurance was discussed at the meeting. Those employees that have only individual or single coverage with the city pay no absolutely no health insurance premiums. Now I know there are couples were they both work for the city so I wonder if they have no kids to cover, is their health insurance for both of them free? Doesn't seem quite fair when most of the rest of us have to pay a premuim through our employer.
Number_1_Grandma (anonymous) replies…
Think that's bad... A single mother (family plan) with 4 kids pay less than married (family plan) with one kid. Reward those for making poor life choices.
sundowner (anonymous) says…
Just curious. What do you mean by "subsidize" compost bins?
pace (anonymous) says…
I have had decades of excellent service from the City sanitation workers. Now that Yoos is gone and if the city hires someone competent to head the sanitation division they should include a recycling collection. For me, there would be more benefit to having my recyclable picked up on Monday rather than grass. Deffenbaugh has a long history of bait and switch programs. I would hate to see them to get a toe hold on our sanitation services.
workinghard (anonymous) says…
What are the sanitation department's loses compared to the golf course's (Eagle Bend).
kansasredlegs (anonymous) replies…
Don't forget to throw in the m-T. Last I recall, the City throws away our tax dollars to the tune of $2M plus annually for those empty buses driving about town.
oneeye_wilbur (anonymous) replies…
Does the sanitation actually have a loss? Lets see the numbers. The Journal World thus far has not provided the numbers, i.e. revenue, salaries, maintenance, and no fudgin either if they do give us the facts.
Ladybug2 (anonymous) says…
I have had very good service from the Lawrence sanitation workers. I would hate to see any of them lose their jobs. We don't need more unemployment in Lawrence.
merrill (anonymous) says…
Why send Lawrence dollars to KCMO or Belgium?
Yes the large corporate trash service is now owned by Belgium executives.
KCMO gets plenty of our dollars there no need to send more to KCMO.
Firing local workers will not improve local tax dollar cookie jars and may well put more homes on the market.
According to all that I've read Pay As You Throw pays for itself which just might reduce our bills for a change. Why not go this route and keep people on the job and maybe create more jobs in the process.
It's always best to keep Lawrence dollars in Lawrence,Kansas.