Next spring residents will be able to dump green waste at the curbside during the city's annual cleanup program, but they'll have to haul their own bulky waste to the transfer station.
The city is trashing the bulky-waste pickup service because the junk piled up along streets - mattresses, chunks of concrete, water heaters, etc. - was an eyesore and difficult to clean up. The city hopes eliminating that aspect of the program will reduce costs and shorten the cleanup period."It can be hauled to the transfer station for $3.50 a pickup truck load," said assistant city manager Jim Reams. "For really big items, residents can contract with a private hauler."
The city contracted with Waste Management for the spring cleanup service in 1993. But Waste Management apparently got more than it bargained for, prompting the city to re-evaluate the service.
The cleanup program was scheduled to last four weeks. But it took Waste Management eight weeks to clean up green waste and another four weeks to clear bulky waste left at curbs throughout the city.
Residents complained about the amount of time the cleanup took, as well as the bad image created by the junk piles left for weeks throughout the city. Some piles of green waste were contaminated and couldn't be mulched. Residents from other neighborhoods and cities also dumped junk in some waste piles.
Waste Management picked up 4,686 tons of material; most of that, 3,000 tons, was green waste. The company told Orem officials it would have to increase its charge if both green and bulky waste programs were offered next year.
Reams said it's likely the $1.27 fee residents currently pay monthly for the spring cleanup program will remain the same, even though the program will be reduced in scope. That's because performing the green waste pickup in a shorter period time frame will require some additional equipment.
The city is seeking bids on a green waste program to ensure "we have a competitive price," Reams said. The city is asking waste collection companies to bid on a spring cleanup program with varied lengths of four, six and eight weeks.
Orem plans to chip and mulch the green waste at the water reclamation facility. The mulch will be used by the city, Reams said.
In the future, the city plans to use the mulch to compost sludge from the sewer treatment plant. Because of the volume of green waste required to compost sludge, the city is considering developing a regional waste collection and composting program, Reams said.