City working out garbage kinks

By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
Some glitches surfaced in the first week of garbage pickup in Hartselle using new containers and automated equipment but it was not anything that can't be corrected, according to Mayor Dwight Tankersley.
"When you consider the changes that were made going from a manual to an automated pickup system, I thought things went very well," Tankersley said. "We made a concerted effort to educate residents on what to expect with the change but we expected some to either not know or be confused about what was taking place.
"We got some calls from residents who said their garbage was not picked up," Tankersley added. "Some of them were unaware that their pickup date changed with the transition. We referred them to the instruction leaflet, which was attached to the new garbage cans when they were distributed. The same map is accessible on the city's web page, www.hartselle.org."
He said three one-man-operated trucks with a driver and a helper were used.
"We did that because we needed a backup operator to learn each one of the four routes and re-position improperly placed containers and attach a reminder to them if there was a problem," Tankersley said. "We'll use only two trucks and two operators when the transition is finished and the third truck will be used as a backup."
Tankersley reminded residents to position their garbage and yard waste containers at curbside so that the wheels and handles face away from the street. He said doing that makes it easier for the operator to grasp the container and ensures that its lid will close when it is lowered to the ground.
He added that the container should be positioned at or near the driveway and about four feet away from a mailbox or any other obstacle. Containers may be placed at street side the day before scheduled pickup, but not later 5:30 a.m. on the day of pickup, and removed on the day of pickup.
"Residents have shown a lot of patience in this conversion process and I appreciate their support," Tankersley stated. "I also want to thank Public Works superintendent Byron Turney and his personnel for the good job they have done."