Message from City Manager on Solid Waste
June 24, 2021
I want to thank our community for the overwhelming responses they have provided to the city on the changes to the City Code revising our solid waste program (approved by the City Council on June 21). Your input is important, and it has been heard. Allow me to address the dialogue and discussions that we have had within our community:
TRASH CANS: Residents that currently have trash cans that are larger than the maximum of 48 gallons WILL NOT be assessed an administrative service fee. Our sanitation crews will attempt to service them. If they have difficulty, we will clearly communicate that with each customer and work together to find a solution. There is no need to go out and purchase a new trash can. Just simply place your trash in a trash bag, tie the bag, and place the bag into whatever trash can you currently have.
BOXES: Please do not use empty boxes as your “trash can.” They are not a dependable method of securing your trash bags before we can service them. Please breakdown your boxes and place them in your recycling bin or place them in a trash bag and place them inside a trash can.
LIDS: A trash can lid IS NOT required. We prefer that every customer secure a lid to their trash can, but we understand that this is not always possible, and sometimes lids can become unfastened. Using a lid helps prevent animals from gaining access to the trash bags, tearing them open and creating scattered litter throughout our community. We want to prevent that, which is a main goal of these changes to the solid waste rules.
FEES: We will only apply fees for the additional services that our staff has to provide to service your trash. However, we pledge to every customer that before any additional fee is placed on your water utility bill there will be a human element involved. Every potential fee for additional services will have an administrative review. We will be reasonable and realistic with every situation. There will also be an ongoing public education program. The new rules do not go into effect until October 1. After that we will continue to educate our customers. The additional fees for services will not be applied until November. We will use the next several months to work with our customers and community on this issue.
WHY: Many customers have asked us, “I am happy with my trash service, why is the city doing this, what’s the problem?” The simple fact is that the community has asked for this. We have done multiple community surveys, hosted town halls and even conducted a test program on new trash cans – and the message was clear from our citizens: “improve the appearance of our community.” We launched the Clean City Initiative in April. One of the many parts of that plan is to address litter and debris from scattered trash in neighborhoods and the extraordinary amount of bulk trash that sits on curbs for days prior to the scheduled pick-up day. Citizens have asked for a better looking community, and we are doing that with these new rules – but we can’t do it alone and we need the help of our solid waste customers.
HELP: If you have a very special situation with your trash CONTACT US! Call the Solid Waste Division 24-hour message and information lines at 972-216-6285 and 972-216-6284. We know that “trash” is very personal. We understand that there may be unique circumstances within our community that we need to address. Some of our customers are elderly, have disabilities or other issues that may prevent them from being able to comply with these new rules. As we do for many customers currently, if you make us aware of a unique situation, our staff will reach out to you in order to find solutions that will aid in efforts to improve our community appearance.
Thank you for time and attention, for allowing our employees to serve you.
Cliff Keheley
City Manager
City of Mesquite
