Mayor Doug England announced this morning that Southern Indiana Waste Systems (SIWS) will begin enhanced solid waste collection services on Monday, August 2, 2010.  This announcement concludes several months of negotiations with SWIS, the City’s private waste collection partner, to expand its services to include yard waste, rubbish and additional bulk items.

SIWS will provide the enhanced solid waste collection services with a rollback in the price it charges the City.  In exchange for the enhanced solid waste collection services and price rollback, SIWS was given a three year contract extension through December 2015 with a fuel surcharge allowance.  The New Albany Common Council ratified this arrangement at its July 15^th meeting by a 6/3 vote.

“The consolidation of yard waste collections, rubbish and bulk items with weekly garbage collection will be seamless”, Mayor England said.  “Citizens should put out their yard waste, rubbish and bulk items on the same day that they place their garbage Toters out for collection.  For instance, if garbage pickup is scheduled for Monday, then that is when yard waste, rubbish and bulk items will be collected.”

New Albany residents are cautioned to follow the revised instructions for solid waste collection that are posted on the City’s website (cityofnewalbany.com): yard waste must be placed in containers or yard waste bags; branches must be no longer than four feet long and tied into manageable bundles; and only up to three bulk items—like chairs, tables and other discarded household goods—may be placed out for collection each week.  Discarded appliances will not be collected by SIWS.  Separate arrangements must be made to collect such “white goods.”

Commencing the week of August 16, 2010, SIWS will also begin a program of repairing Toter lids that have been damaged or destroyed.  The lids will be replaced at no additional charge to the City.  But SIWS spokesman Bryan Slade indicated that Toter lid replacement will take as long as 18 months to complete.

“There are approximately 6,000 Toters that will require lid replacement.  SIWS will implement lid replacement gradually each week.  A repair crew will replace several lids in each collection area on the same day of collections.  Not all of the lids can be replaced a once.  Customers will need to be patient as the lid replacement program progresses,” Mr. Slade said.

Finally, Mayor England heralded the enhanced solid waste collection program as a victory for the City’s Street Department.  “Ever since I returned to City service in 2008, sanitation has been a ‘boondoggle’ for the undermanned Street Department.  “One day soon I hope to be able to read street signs and see centerlines when I drive!”

• New yard waste and bulk items collection details.