By Hannah Curran, Editor
TRUSSVILLE — The City of Trussville is beginning a new garbage and debris pick-up with Amwaste on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2022, that will pick up garbage and debris once a week.
The difference is that the recycling and garbage will now go on the same truck. Those trucks are transported down to Montgomery to a recycling plant, where they separate the recyclable, the usable, the non-usable, and what’s leftover goes to the landfill.
“It doesn’t have to be separated anymore; it will all go on one truck,” Trussville Mayor Buddy Choat said. “Instead of having a recyclable truck come by and a garbage truck, it all be on one truck.”
Amwaste will take the garbage and debris to a facility in Clanton, and then it will be taken to Montgomery. Once in Montogmery, it will go to a place called Repower South.
“Repower South will go through and separate what is recyclable and able to be recycled, and what is not able to, they use it as a byproduct for other things,” Choat said. “It’s got an EPA-approved plan to help use the other, and then what’s left, about 40 percent of what they collect will end up in the landfill instead of 100 percent.”
Choat explained that landfills are getting full and landfills are “unsustainable.”
If Trussville had put out a bid for the garbage and debris pick-up, then the cost would have gone up tremendously, according to Choat.
“The cost that we’re seeing on this is comparable to what we were paying prior to this; it’s a little higher,” Choat said. “Then we added $500,000 to the budget this year to cover any fuel charges.”
Trussville is the last of five cities to transition to this service; Vestavia was first, then Hoover, Pelham, Mountain Brook, and finally Trussville. Trussville’s contract with Republic ends on Nov. 30, 2022, and then the new contract with Amwaste begins on Dec. 1, 2022.
Choat explained that out of the 10,000 customers in Trussville, only around 400 customers will have a change in pick-up day.
The Debris pick-up will be on a 10-day cycle instead of a 7-day cycle like the trash.
“It’s a change,” Choat said. “It’s not always bad, but it is different.”
Also, Amwaste purchased the cans from Republic, and now all Trussville customers will keep the same can(s) as before.
“They can use both their recycle can and garbage can, if everything is bagged, they use it all the same way,” Administrative Assistant Stacy Frazier said.
Choat said in the past that some people were putting items that were not recyclable in the recyclable bins which was causing it to be rejected when it made it to the facilities. That’s where the facility in Montgomery comes in because they can go through the trash and seperate it.
“I think it will solve a lot issues that we have had,” Choat said.
Here are some important notes:
- Place all materials and bags inside your cart(s), use 2nd cart as needed.
- Bag all trash to prevent wind-blown litter and unsanitary conditions.
- Please have your cart out for service by 6 a.m. on your scheduled days.
- Do not place loose materials on ground, service is completed by an automated vehicle, it is designed to lift and dump the contents inside your cart.
- Please ensure lid is closed to prevent wind-blown litter and animal nuisance.
- Wash your cart periodically with water, soap and mild bleach to prevent residue and odor build up.
- If you receive medical or age qualified back door service, place your cart in plain sight with safe and unobstructed access.
- Amwaste personnel WILL NOT enter gates, doors, garages or fenced areas to complete back door service.
Materials accepted:
- Rolled carpet;
- Glass doors (glass must be broken and placed in a cardboard box);
- Alkaline, manganese, and carbon-zinc batteries;
- Fluorescent bulbs;
- Household amounts of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers;
- Moving boxes (broken down);
- Packing materials (bagged); and
- Appliances (refrigerated appliances require a Freon removal tag issued by a certified technician).
Materials not accepted:
- Construction debris;
- Blocks;
- Bricks;
- Concrete;
- Piles of dirt;
- Tile;
- Tires;
- More than household amounts of hazardous waste;
- Car batteries;
- Large car parts (engines, rotors, etc.);
- Landscape or railroad cross ties;
- Medical waste;
- Needles; and
- Animal carcasses.
If you have questions, call the City of Trussville Department of Public Works at (205) 655-0319.