Sparks residents will no longer be able to put extra bundles of trash next to their garbage can each week, will not have to sort recycling items into separate crates and will pay 98 cents more per month for getting rid of their trash.
Those are some of the significant changes in residential garbage service that the Sparks City Council authorized Monday.
The council unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s agreement with Waste Management, the company that holds the exclusive contract to collect trash from residents in Sparks as well as Reno.
The existing trash agreement expires in 2018. The council agreed on a 2028 expiration date for the new agreement, a 10-year extension.
The changes in trash service are expected to be implemented over time and should be fully in effect by February.
Single-stream recycling provided the impetus for the changes. Rather than sorting glass, plastic and tin or aluminum cans into separate crates, residents will throw all recyclable material into one larger container for pickup every other week under the single-stream system. They will also be able to recycle additional types of material, including newspapers, other paper waste, cardboard and chipboard.
Waste Management is expected to develop an information program to educate residents about the recycling program.
Another significant change, set to begin in January, will eliminate the six extra 32-gallon bags or bundles of trash that residents are allowed to place beside their garbage container each week.
Instead, Waste Management will provide 20 stickers that customers can apply to excess bundles of trash during the year. In addition, residents will have a four-week period in the fall and in the spring to place up to six bags, bundles or boxes of additional trash outside their container without using a sticker. They also will get four free trips to the landfill in Lockwood or a Waste Management garbage transfer station.
Leave a Reply