Get Your Trash Out Earlier; ECUA Changes Route Times

February 11, 2011

Beginning Tuesday, you’ll need to have your trash out earlier to make sure you don’t miss your pickup if you are an ECUA customer.

ECUA’s Sanitation Department will implement new collection routes for garbage, recycling and yard trash service on Tuesday, February 15. The changes will only affect the time of collection, while all collection days will remain as scheduled. To avoid a missed pickup, ECUA customers are asked to place their garbage and recycling containers, as well as any yard trash, at the curb by 5:30 a.m. on their normal collection day.

“The popularity of the ECUA Curbside Recycling program is reflected in the steadily increasing amount of recyclables and decreasing amount of garbage and yard trash being collected weekly,” said Nathalie Bowers, public information officer for ECUA. “A periodic review and adjustment in collection routes and schedules allow us to better serve our customers and operate in a more efficient and cost-effective way.”

For more information, or to learn about ECUA’s recycling program visit ecua.org or call (850) 476-0480.

Comments

13 Responses to “Get Your Trash Out Earlier; ECUA Changes Route Times”

  1. Alfred E. Neuman on February 13th, 2011 12:16 pm

    First line of defense against loose trash floating out of the truck is to bag it.
    Second line of defense might be for ECUA to spend the fees collected from customers on retention methods (like the screens) on the trucks.
    INSTEAD of new trucks with polished aluminum wheels, polished aluminum fuel and hydraulic tanks, chrome bumpers, chrome air horns and other fluff on the new trucks.
    I would like to hear what the justification is for what appears to be fiscal waste of ratepayer dollars.

  2. Albin on February 12th, 2011 5:33 pm

    I had inquired about the flying trash, on our little street, as I walk I pick up loose trash/papers,I see so much of my neighbors information, that has not been shredded and just cut in half or tossed in whole and just then tossed into recycle bin> I was told nicely to tell my neighbors to bag their papers/. Are you kidding me, first it is not my job, second I don`t want enemies.

  3. Larry Walker on February 11th, 2011 9:14 pm

    To Judy Masek: Put the hinge side of the can facing the house.
    To Oversight: Route starting points can and do change. It is better if everyone just puts their cans out the night before, unless there is a major critter problem.
    To just call me joe: Primarily because of North End complaints about litter, ECUA has devised a screen around the top hole that we hope will reduce litter by 3/4s. I agree that truck litter is a problem and have discussed it with staff many times.
    To bama54: Garbage trucks are heavy, whether ECUA, Allied, BMI, etc. It’s the nature of the beast, but they do not tear up properly constructed roads. We agree on this–Roll Tide!

  4. S.L.B on February 11th, 2011 4:01 pm

    To: Nathalie Bowers, ECUA Public Information Officer

    I agree with bama54 with his complaint about the loose garbage flying out the hole and littering our streets. I have called ECUA numerous times and complained about this on-going problem and yet nothing has been done to the trucks to prevent this from happening. Come on..how difficult could a solution be?

    I call the County Road Department reguarly requesting them to send out the prisoners to pick up all the liter on our roadsides, but they are getting very frustrated with having to use their resources for the ECUA trash problem to the point that I think they don’t even care anymore. The northend roadways are starting to look like a 3rd world country and it’s very embarrassing and dissapointing!

  5. barrineau on February 11th, 2011 3:48 pm

    Thanks NE for reporting this , I havent heard about it from any one else…yet. I would think a letter or something would have been sent out by ecua.

  6. just call me joe on February 11th, 2011 1:16 pm

    Last week the recycling truck ran much later than usual and there was a storm coming. The wind was blowing a lot. I witnessed the recycling truck “littering” my whole neighborhood. More blew out of the truck than they picked up. I know people should bag their smaller pieces, but the trucks need some kind of retractable canopy on them to keep trash/recycling from blowing out. The dump trucks have to have something like that over their dirt/clay, etc. The garbage and recycling trucks should have them too.

  7. JUDY MASEK on February 11th, 2011 12:24 pm

    the ECUA yard debris pick-up folks did me a big favor last tuesday (in cantonment)- it was more than they had to do and i do appreciate it…i think that its very important to take the time to compliment someone when a job is well done, not just to offer complaints when certain aspects fall short…i do have a question, however… for expediting the pick-up process, should the garbage/recycle containers have the “hinge” side facing the road or facing the house…or, does it even matter?

  8. Nathalie Bowers, ECUA Public Information Officer on February 11th, 2011 11:06 am

    Yes, Atmore is correct. You can certainly place your can(s) out the night before. We’ve always recommended that cans be placed out by 5:30 a.m. to help ensure that pick-ups are not missed and putting them out the evening before is fine. It’s also important to remember to bring your can up from the road in the evening (per County ordinance).

    aam, please call our Customer Service center at 476-0480 if you have missed pick-up. It is hard for us to know when the trucks will be going down a street. This varies from week to week depending on how many homes have placed cans out for pick-up. If the truck has to make 50 stops before getting to a home, it will arrive sooner in the day than if it has to make 200 stops. While this fluctuation happens for all three services (garbage, recycling and yard waste), it seems to affect recycling more because customers typically put garbage cans out more consistently than recycling cans.

    During the heavy gardening months, collection times for yard waste are also more often affected.

  9. atmore on February 11th, 2011 9:16 am

    NO ONE PANIC!!! LOL All you have to do is sit the garbage out by the road in it’s regular place the night before garbage pick up and that way you don’t have to get SO early and your garbage gets picked up. That’s what I started doing and I love the idea, lots of other people on my road have started doing it as well. I’m sure it’s not a new thing but still, I just wanted to share that idea with everyone. =)

  10. aam on February 11th, 2011 8:02 am

    I wonder if anyone remembers BFI? They never showed up on time or not at all. When you called they said they would get it next week ect. Nothing but trouble.
    The ECUA driver I have here in Cantonment is great. He has even gotten out and removed the garbage when I forgot to put it out. I have no complaints what so ever with garbage.
    Recycle is different. They forget to pick it up or you never know when they will get it. Larry Walker is a big help when there is a problem.

  11. bama54 on February 11th, 2011 7:55 am

    Maybe you could do away with your clock, and use the trucks (if they are on time) to wake you up in the mornings. I am still not impressed with ecua!! I still have to pickup loose trash out of the ditch on most Tuesdays when I get home form work. Plus, I believe my road deterioration is a direct resulf of the ecua heavy trucks that pickup my garbage. I guess I could complain about the county and ecua until I am blue in the face, and it would not make any difference. I chose to move back here, so I now get what I deserve.

    Roll Tide to all Bama friends!!

  12. PensacolaEd on February 11th, 2011 7:34 am

    I know they hit Rocky Branch Road (off QUintette) right at 06:30 currently, so I think they start their Cantonment rout here.

  13. Oversight on February 11th, 2011 6:00 am

    Ok ECUA, where do the routes actually start? How about telling us that. Because lets be realistic here, we know it’s impossible for your trucks to be everywhere at 5:30 a.m.