The City of Oak Ridge has explained the need for space between garbage and recycling bins at the curb under a new contract with Waste Connections, the trash collector.
New blue 95-gallon garbage cans have been dropped off at Oak Ridge homes. The city and Waste Connections have asked residents to place the carts at least five feet away from other objects such as mailboxes and cars, avoid placing them under trees and power lines, and keep garbage and recycling containers at least three feet apart.
In a short video posted by the city, the garbage cans are shown being picked up by a hydraulic arm and dumped into a Waste Connections truck.
“On Monday morning, you’ll see these trucks start their routes through the city for collection,” the city said in a Facebook post. “Don’t worry, there will still be people on the trucks to get out and move bins to where they need to be and pick up any loose trash as we continue this transition to the new pickup and get used to the change!”
The city said it is not aware of any job loss at Waste Connections due to the change to the hydraulic pickup.
“This will make the job easier to hire for and keep filled,” the city said. “The new trucks still need to be operated by at least one person but especially in the beginning, there will likely be two on the truck so they can hop out and pick up anything or adjust a bin until people are used to the new process. A few of the older trucks are still going to be running to pick up at homes that qualify for backdoor pickup.”
If you have a question about where to leave your bin, call Waste Connections at (865) 482-3656. If you need backdoor service, call the Oak Ridge Public Works Department at (865) 425-1875.
The new contract with Waste Connections started July 1. Besides the new garbage bins, it includes a change in garbage collection from so-called “backdoor pickup” to curbside pickup.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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