Bismarck considering changes to residential garbage pickup - Bismarck Tribune
Bismarck considering changes to residential garbage pickup
The city of Bismarck is considering ending the practice of picking up extra garbage from residences or possibly charging extra for it, maybe as early as next year.
A decision is not imminent, and the city is likely to gather input from residents before picking the best option.
City officials have been mulling changes in the garbage pickup system for a while from a cost standpoint, but the matter has taken on increased urgency due to the city's aging truck fleet and inability to replace the type of trucks it uses for residential pickup.
Five of the city's eight "multipack" trucks used for residential pickup are at or beyond their expected lifespan -- with some having about 200,000 miles on them -- and they're no longer available on the market. The trucks have an arm that lifts and dumps 96-gallon cans, and they also have a spot for collectors to ride on the back and throw extra garbage into the truck's rear.
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Trucks available on the market do not have that rear option, Public Works Director Steve Salwei told city commissioners on Tuesday. They do have a side option for the dumping of extra trash, but they do not have a spot for a collector to ride, and safety also is a concern because the dumping area is near the arm that lifts the cans, he said.
Salwei also noted that Bismarck is "one of the last communities in the state that collect a limited amount of extras," with most communities dumping just the issued 96-gallon can.
Steve Salwei
Salwei presented six options to commissioners:
Continue to take extra trash, with crews first emptying the can, then putting extras into the can and dumping it again, which he said would greatly increase collection times. Continue to take extras, sending a second rear-load truck on the route to pick them up, which he said would require additional trucks and staff. Discontinue taking extras, with residents having to take any extra trash to the landfill for a fee. Discontinue taking extras for free, with residents being able to buy a special bag from Public Works to set out with their 96-gallon can. Truck drivers would dump the can, put any extras into the can and dump it again. Discontinue taking extras, with residents having the ability to purchase a second 96-gallon can, possibly at a reduced rate. Discontinue taking extras, and implement Options 3, 4 and 5.
Salwei recommended Option 6, saying it would eliminate the need for a collector to accompany the truck operator, would keep costs and labor needs lower in future years, and would reduce wear and tear on the streets.
Another benefit might be that "folks would be a little more conservative, and we'd have a lot less grass going into" the landfill, Salwei said. "We're rather recycle that, and compost it."
He estimated that in the summer months about 65% of residents put out extra garbage, mostly grass. The percentage drops to about 10% in the winter.
Anne Cleary
Commissioners discussed the matter but came to no clear consensus. Commissioners Anne Cleary and Greg Zenker said that the city might need more grass dumpsters under Option 6, and Commissioner Steve Marquardt noted that some residents aren't able to take grass or extra garbage to the landfill. Commissioners also noted that eliminating the pickup of extra trash for free would be a big change, though Marquardt noted "At some point, we're going to have to do something different."
That time is likely to be as early as 2025, when more of the new trucks the city has on order begin arriving, Salwei said.
"We do have some trucks on order, but we kind of have them on hold," he said.
Cleary, who holds the solid waste utility portfolio on the commission, plans to continue consulting with Public Works on developing a timeline and a method for community input.
"Everybody's situation is different," she said, adding that "Hearing the perspective from those citizens as to which scenario ... works best for them, I think would be good."