New year means new waste management

MT. PLEASANT — After months of discussions in city council and committee meetings, Mt. Pleasant City Council opted to pull the plug on the current sticker system used for garbage collection in favor of a contract with private waste management companies Wemiga Waste and Lance Refuse.

“The City Council has signed a contract with Wemiga Waste and Lance Refuse to provide residential curbside trash collection beginning Feb. 7, 2024,” a letter to Mt. Pleasant residents from the city states. “Contracting with Wemiga Waste and Lance Refuse will lower our overhead costs, provide more consistency, and allow for fewer trucks on the roadway.”

According to City Administrator Brent Schliesman, the current sticker system is costing the city valuable dollars, and they cannot continue the way that it is.

“The City of Mount Pleasant is continuously looking for better, more effective ways to provide services to our citizens,” the letter continues. “With rising costs, staffing issues, and newer, more expensive equipment in garbage collection the City believes private haulers are better equipped to provide this service.”

Mt. Pleasant Mayor Steve Brimhall commented in earlier city council meetings that nearly two-thirds of residents already contract with a private company for their trash collection, and this also will save those individuals money overall.

According to the letter instead of paying $2 per sticker, residents will see a solid waste collection fee of either $19.75 for a 95-gallon trash bin or $16.75 for a 65-gallon trash bin on their monthly utility bills.

Additionally, the solid waste base fee will go from $3 to $3.25, but recycling and landfill closure fees will remain the same.

These fees will begin to show on utility bills starting March 2024.

While residents will automatically be enrolled with the 95-gallon bin option, City Administrative Assistant Shelby Remick says they can opt for the smaller trash bin for free before Jan. 22 by filling out a request form located online or by calling city hall.

“Residents just need their utility account number which is located at the top of their utility bill,” she said.

Requests to change the bin size after this date can do so at any time of the year for a $20 fee which will then be charged to their utility bill.

Residents’ trash will be collected on Wednesdays and Thursday depending on their address by either Lance or Wemiga.

While residents can choose a smaller trash bin, Remick says they cannot opt out of the trash system altogether, and it will appear on their utility bills this March, despite some resident’s desire to refuse the new refuse service.

With this announcement, many have taken to social media asking questions about logistics and their current unused stickers.

According to Remick, Wemiga Waste will service addresses located North of Washington and Lance Refuse will handle those South of Washington Street with pickups either Thursday or Wednesday according to a map available on the city website.

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“If they were with the other company the old bins will be picked up and they will be distributing new bins about the second week of January,” Remick said concerning the two-thirds of residents already using one of these services.

The bins, according to Remick, will all be black regardless of which company is providing services. Example bins are set out in the alley off Madison Street, west of City Hall.

As far as specifics for where to place the bins and by what time, Remick says those details will come closer to the start date.

The other third of Mt. Pleasant’s residents that currently use the sticker system will need to sit tight a little longer as Remick says the city still is figuring out their next steps for leftover stickers.

“We’re looking at buy back options,” Remick said. “Hopefully will know in the next couple of weeks and we will get that information out to anyone with excess stickers.”

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com