Creve Coeur Needs To Talk Trash With Residents

With a little more than a year until the city of Creve Coeur's trash and recycling contract comes to a close, city leaders are grappling with a dilemma: Many residents don't know that rear-yard pickup of trash is available at no cost to them. The city will pay $1.31 million to Republic Services (formerly Allied Waste) in the next fiscal year for collection of front and rear-yard trash and recycling.

But what the city decides to pay for, and who the city decides to pay moving forward are key questions city leaders are asking at forums this month. Approximately 20 people, including city officials, elected leaders and volunteers with the city's Horticulture, Environment and Beautification Committee gathered Tuesday night for the first meeting at the Creve Coeur Government Center.

They reviewed data from the most recent city survey of 615 residents in 2011, which indicated:

• 27 percent of residents didn't know rear yard trash pick-up is currently available to all single family homes at no cost.
• Just under 60 percent of residents surveyed place trash at the curb.
• 63 percent of residents surveyed said "Knowing that rear yard trash service is more costly than curb side trash service and that the city may not be able to continue free rear trash service indefinitely, how important is it to you that free rear yard trash service is continued?," anwered either Unimportant or Very Important.

Pollster Ken Warren's conclusion? 

"Residents, who now use rear trash pick-up, are much more likely to say that it is either "very important" (35.7%) or "important" (27.4%) that this free rear yard service is continued. This compares to only 8.6% saying "very important" and 10.4% saying "important" for those who now place their trash at the curb. Thus, the city can expect to encounter complaints from those that now use rear yard trash pick-up if the city in the future decides to discontinue this service."

FAIRNESS

At least one member of the audience questioned if taxpayers who use front yard pickup should be in essence paying for another to use rear yard, which Public Works Director Jim Heines indicated could run at least $400,000 if it were bid out separately.

Heines said if the city decides to retain rear yard service and go to bid, outside bidders would be "much higher" than the current deal with Republic/Allied, and that Allied Waste knows that, meaning the smartest option might be to negotiate a three year extension of the existing deal.

One aspect of the topic that did not come up Tuesday was Allied Waste's controversial support for a successful sales tax ballot issue in 2010 which campaigned on a slogan of "Keep Our Trash Service Free."

City Council members voted in October 2011 to approve a three year contract with Allied Waste that included both front and rear yard service, believing that the 2010 ballot issue promised both options. Proceeds from the sales tax go to the city's general fund and not specifically to pay for trash service.

Another public forum on trash service is scheduled for May 22

Are you any more likely to want to use rear-yard service now? What suggestions would you have for services required in the next city trash contract?