Improvements coming for KCK trash collection, UG says

Kansas City, Kansas, officials are pledging that there will be improvements in local trash service.

After a meeting with Waste Management, a firm that took over Deffenbaugh, Unified Government officials stated that there will be major steps taken to improve trash and recycling in Kansas City, Kansas.

Residents had made hundreds of calls to the UG complaining about late trash pickups over the past year, officials stated.

After meeting with Waste Management officials, starting in January and continuing for some months, UG officials stated that the firm will be implementing changes to provide improved service in the community and to ensure that these delays do not occur again.

The changes, according to a UG spokesman, include:
• The number of trash routes and trucks will increase from 12 to 14-15 per day.
• An additional recycling truck will be added each day.
• The new plan is expected to speed-up pickup times by several hours per day.

“I am pleased with the strategy Waste Management has proposed to improve the quality of trash collection services our residents have come to expect,” stated Doug Bach, Unified Government county administrator, in a news release. “Seeing an increase in the number of drivers on our streets to improve reliability and timeliness of service is a big win for our community.”

Mayor Mark Holland, earlier this year met with Waste Management executives in Washington, D.C.

“They pledged to get to the bottom of the problem and come up with solutions,” Holland said after the meeting.

“The transition for Waste Management into the Kansas City market was not an easy one,” Rich Sarac, Waste Management senior district manager, stated. “Unfortunately, Kansas City, Kansas, residents experienced service delays last year. We apologize for these service delays and the inconvenience they caused to the residents.”

The additional trucks and other changes are expected to be in effect by the end of the month, according to the UG’s news release.