New routes may change times of weekly pickup
Marlene Feist, Director of Strategic Development, Public Works & Utilities, (509) 625-6505
Wednesday, January 25, 2017 at 8:17 a.m.
Starting the week of Feb. 27, the City of Spokane’s garbage trucks will wind through residential neighborhoods in updated patterns. While all residential customers will have the same garbage pickup days, those trucks may arrive at different times than before. The City is asking residents to get their carts to curb by 7 a.m. on garbage day to accommodate the changes.
“We have reduced the number of routes and gained some efficiencies, but to be successful, we need help from our customers,” says Solid Waste Collections Director Scott Windsor says. “Putting out carts the night before or first thing in the morning will ensure that we will pick up your trash and recycling reliably every week.”
The City decided to revise its garbage routes after it moved its fleet to the new Spokane Central Service Center in the Chief Garry Park neighborhood. With a new base of operations, it made sense to take a fresh look at the City’s routes, Windsor said.
With the help of the City’s solid waste drivers, a new routing pattern was developed that allowed all customers to keep their garbage days and allowed the City to eliminate five routes and make the routes more uniform in size. Among other things, the gain in efficiencies will allow the City to accommodate rapid growth in commercial garbage accounts as well as in residential recycling and yard/food waste collections.
The City’s Solid Waste Collections Department employs 121 people and provides curbside garbage, recycling, and yard waste collections service to City residents as well as a variety of commercial services for businesses.
