Garbagemen gear up for curbside service
Published 12:00 am Sunday, March 20, 2005
Selma’s General Services director said Selma residents will start moving garbage carts to their curbs starting in June.
While the city will immediately start saving money, the department won’t be sitting on its laurels until then. Director Henry Hicks said garbage collectors and managers have a lot to do in the next three months.
The project has included a massive restructuring effort for the department, as well as two or more weeks of training collectors and drivers to use the city’s new automated-arm garbage trucks, Hicks said.
“What we are trying to do is reduce (workers) from having to go to the back door,” he said. “Now we’re trying to come into the 21st Century.”
Hicks said Selma is one of the few cities in the state to still over back door trash pickup.
By going to curbside service, Hicks is hoping to bring Selma into the future.
“We’re just trying to get more modernized and cut the costs,” he said.
The city’s new service requires fewer collectors, because employees won’t have to go behind homes to retrieve trash.
The automated arm on the new trucks means collectors won’t be needed to dump the trash in the old rear-loading trucks.
Hicks said the city would require fewer collectors, he’s not expecting any layoffs anytime soon.
“It will take us into a position where we can move people into one place or another,” he said, referring to shifting employees to different departments.
The new service doesn’t completely eliminate the need for rear-loading trucks or employees to get trash behind a resident’s home.
The city will still offer the back door service at an increased price. Hicks also said physically disabled residents won’t be required to pull their carts, provided by the city, to the curb.
The city will iron out both details during a work session and called meeting Monday, Hicks said.
Also, the public is invited to ask questions during an open forum on Tuesday, at the Performing Arts Center.
The city will present information to the community, according to Hicks.
“We’ll hopefully answer all the questions the residents will have,” Hicks said.