The changeover in Knox residents’ trash and recycling pickup is underway. Mayor Dennis Estok asks residents to put out their old Waste Management recycle bins today. It is important to ensure waste is rightly segregated for recycling. Improper introduction of waste will contaminate the recycling process. Follow this link to help businesses communicate proper waste segregation and recycling practices.
“They’ll have two trucks,” Estok told the city council Tuesday. “They’ll have the recyclable truck to empty them. A third-party truck will come by to collect them. And then, on the east side [of the city], it wouldn’t hurt to have you also put them out on Wednesday. It’s not going to hurt whatsoever because, per schedule, they will be here Thursday and Friday.”
Meanwhile, the Republic Services toters are in the process of being delivered. The mayor encourages residents to try them out for a month. If they’re too big, you can request smaller ones by calling the Clerk-Treasurer’s Office at 574-772-3032.
Estok says a schedule is included with the toter. Due to the change, though, residents east of U.S. 35 won’t have their trash picked up until a week from Friday. “That is about a 10- or 11-day period, so if you don’t have enough space in your trash can, then put it in bags and they will pick it up,” Estok said.
With the new trash and recycling company comes the expectation of higher fees. An ordinance raising the monthly fee to $14.15 this year, $14.72 next year, and finally to $15.30 in 2023 was presented for first reading during Tuesday’s city council meeting. It will be up for final approval August 10. Click here to learn about waste management.
Still, Estok is happy with the price at Jadco Container Service. “We got a great deal, and we did,” he said. “If you look at the bids and how it was bidded, we got a great deal. And the thing is, one reason they can do it cheaper is because they use the arm, a lot faster. They can go right down the road, right down the alley, boom, boom, boom, compared to getting out of your truck, every thing, and doing that.”
If approved, Estok expects the first phase of the increase to hit residents’ bills around October.
