Summer and storm debris bring temporary adjustments
to solid waste collection in Bowling Green, Warren County

The prolonged and record high temperatures in Bowling Green and Warren County, as well as several rounds of severe thunderstorms, are taking their tolls on area residents and the people who collect their residential trash and curbside recycling.

“We have reports from waste haulers that the high heat is affecting the safety of the workmen, so allowing trash pickup to be earlier in the morning or later in the evening - when temperatures are cooler – should benefit worker safety while ensuring that trash pickup occurs on its intended day,” said Warren County Judge-Executive Mike Buchanon.

Temperatures and heat indices are expected to continue hovering near 100*F, and thunderstorms remain in current forecasts. Area trash haulers will be adjusting their routes and collection times to compensate for the conditions with as little impact on area solid waste and recycling services as possible.

PICKUP SCHEDULES WILL CHANGE

Waste haulers will now be allowed to start their days in residential areas as early as 4:00 a.m., but no later 8:00 p.m. Trash collection times for residential areas typically begin no earlier than 6:00 a.m. and no later 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. This change is temporary, but residents who are accustomed to putting their trash out by 6:00 a.m. should have it out by 4:00 a.m. beginning immediately.

Collection times may vary from week to week, since route trucks will help each other collect trash more quickly and to avoid the higher temperatures in the middle of the day. Residents can also ease the load by generating less waste and sorting and bagging their garbage in lighter bags and using containers wheels.

YARD WASTE COLLECTION

Several severe thunderstorms with strong winds have hit the Bowling Green area over the past weeks. This has resulted in an abundance of weather-related debris. More thunderstorms also are in the forecast.

SOLID WASTE PICKUP GUIDES

“This could be an ongoing thing, much as it was last year,” Buchanon said. “In 2011, no single storm was enough justify even a local a disaster declaration, which would have enabled us to claim cleanup and recovery costs. Instead, the amount of brush and limbs that produced was cumulative and became every bit as much as from any ice storm in recent memory.”

Scott Waste Services will go to “Zoned” yard waste collection starting this week. Four zones will be used to concentrate all resources to pick up acceptable yard waste.

Scott will use residential trash trucks and open-top containers to aid in the pickup of acceptable material, concentrating on one zone at a time until the conditions warrant returning to regular weekly pickup in all areas, according to Scott Waste.

The zoned collection practice was used last year to expedite collection. Some zones may see their area’s waste collected by next weekend, while other areas may not see collection occur until later. All acceptable yard waste and debris should be cleared in less than three weeks without further storm-related debris accumulations, according to reports from area solid waste franchisees.

Brush and limbs placed at the curb by anyone other than the homeowner are unacceptable.

Yard waste specifications say that no single pickup be larger than two cubic yards – about the size of a pickup truck bed – and that all yard waste be placed at the curb for collection. Limbs should not be longer than five feet, nor more than six inches in diameter. Smaller groupings of limbs and brush clippings should be bundled with twine or placed in bags or containers, with no single bag weigh more than 75 pounds. Yard waste must be kept separately from rubbish and garbage.

FURNITURE, APPLIANCES AND EXTRA TRASH

Single-family residential households also receive bulk waste services with their paid solid waste pickup service. Typically, bulk waste is generated when someone cleans out a garage or basement or when someone is moving in or out of a home. It even can be generated when the resident gets new “stuff”.

Bulk waste includes oversized items as well as extra trash that cannot be collected under ordinary circumstances. These items may be larger, heavier, not fit in a traditional disposal container or constitute an extraordinary volume for one disposal event.

Bulk items must be placed at the curb for collection and be in containers or bags not weighing more than 75 pounds, whenever possible. Larger items may require a special vehicle for pickup. These items will be picked up after the regular pickup. Each household gets one additional bulk waste pickup per month, but the resident must call and request the extra pickup to be scheduled.

Warren County encourages everyone to consider that many items disposed of through bulk waste pickup still have value. It is better to let someone else use these items than to send these things to the landfill. Furniture, appliances, clothing and materials from residential remodeling are all items that may be donated to charitable organizations for a tax deduction.