Written by Amanda Coers – Select Early residents will have the opportunity to test run the new sanitation collection system beginning December 27th. The City of Early delivered new 96-gallon rollout trash containers to 100 households on Tuesday along Longhorn Drive, Autumn, and Mistletoe.

Those residents will help the city test their new trash collection program for two weeks on their normal Tuesday collection days of January 3rd and 10th. City officials will be noting progress to see if additional tweaks will be needed.

Previously, Early residents supplied their own trash cans for pick up, which required manual disposal from a two-man team riding with the trash truck. A new automated trash truck has been purchased, along with compliant roll-out carts which can be lifted by the truck and emptied, without the need for manned assistance. With the new system, employees previously assisting with trash pick up will be free to perform other duties for the city.

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The City of Early has spent a little over $100,000 for the new carts and trash truck in order to provide a more effective and sanitary system for trash disposal. The carts offer better stability than many of the resident-provided cans, reducing the risk of spills and helping to keep the city clean. The cost of the new system is already a part of the bill Early residents have been paying since October. There’s no expected increase to maintain the new trash collection system. Residents concerned that one cart might not be able to hold all their household trash may purchase another cart from the city for an additional $15 per month.

The next step for the City of Early will be to deliver carts to residents on the southside of Early Boulevard on January 12th and the northside on January 17th.

The city will also be offering brush and bulk trash pickup a couple of days a month, and residents can call and schedule those pickups.

A few “Do’s and Dont’s” for the new carts include:

• Do put carts out by 7 a.m. on pick up day, and leave out until serviced. Residents are asked to remove carts from the road edge before 8 a.m.
• Do keep carts off the curb and near homes on non-collection days.
• Do bag loose paper and other light trash which can easily blow away during collection in order to reduce litter.
• Do put the cart close to, but off, the curb on collection days. Move the handles to face the home, and leave adequate space between neighboring carts for more efficient pick-up.
• Don’t “jam” trash into the container, as it can prevent the carts from being completely emptied.
• Don’t add additional items for pickup next to the container, as the driver will not be able to remove those items not placed in the cart.
• Don’t take the container if moving to a new residence.