No, trash pickup isn’t changing in Arlington yet. When it does, they’ll ask you about it
Arlington’s contract for trash collection will end in 2023, but residents shouldn’t expect to see changes in their trash collection routines any time soon, the city said in a statement Wednesday.
Council members said at a work session Tuesday that there was misinformation about the city’s contract with Republic Services, the company that manages trash and recycling collection in the city. Many residents emailed and wrote letters under the mistaken impression that trash pickup would be reduced from twice a week to once a week.
But that’s not happening, council members said Tuesday. While the city is exploring options for renewing its contract with Republic or finding a new vendor in 2023, no decisions have been made.
Council member Andrew Piel said changes will come only after extensive research and input form the community. A statement from the city said there will be multiple community meetings in the coming months to discuss any possible changes.
Some residents expressed concerns to council members about automation of trash pickup. Council member Raul Gonzalez said at a work session Tuesday the city may not have a lot of options because the waste and recycling collection industry is moving toward automated pickup.
That would also mean changing the containers in which residents place their trash.
But the city is also looking into options for continuing manual pickup, including with other vendors, Gonzalez said at the work session. And Piel told the Star-Telegram that if trash pickup is automated, the city would require sanitation workers to manually pick up the trash of anybody who cannot deliver their garbage crates to the curb.
This story was originally published December 8, 2021 at 4:07 PM.