City of West Monroe

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RESIDENTIAL TRASH & GARBAGE CURBSIDE SERVICE

OVERVIEW

West Monroe is proud to provide quality residential curbside garbage and trash service as part of its ongoing effort to create a litter-free environment for everyone who lives or works here, as well as those who visit.

Both trash and garbage are collected weekly. For information on the schedule for your area, phone the West Monroe Public Works Complex at 325-0496. A garbage container is issued to each household by the Utility Complex as part of the monthly charge. City-issued garbage containers are specially designed for automatic pick-up by collection trucks. Containers of any other design cannot be picked up by city collection trucks. Your cooperation is needed to ensure delivery of top quality service.

It is important that you understand the difference between trash and garbage and sort your waste accordingly.

GARBAGE - normal household waste, such as paper, plastic, food, cans, house wares, and containers. All garbage must be disposed of by placing in the container provided by the Public Works Complex.

TRASH - all items too large or bulky to fit into the garbage container, including yard waste. These items should be placed near, but not in, the street.

Weekly curbside service is provided to each address within the city limits at the price of $12.50 per month. An additional container may be added for an additional charge of $9.60 per month. The city also offers commercial services. Contact the Public Works Complex for information.

The City CANNOT pick up on a routine basis:

TIPS FOR IMPROVED SERVICE

  1. Although containers provided by the city are well constructed, sturdy and designed to satisfy nearly all residential needs, they do have limitations. To avoid damage, do not overload with heavy items.
  2. Lids on containers must be kept shut at all times to keep animals and rain water out. This also helps to keep odors and refuse inside. Neighborhood litter is often the direct result of lids not being closed securely. If a lid is lost or damaged, call the Public Works Complex for a replacement.
  3. Note the day your garbage will be picked up each week and try to have all discarded items placed in the container to ensure collection. No household garbage outside of can.
  4. Make sure your container is clearly visible to sanitation workers, easy to reach, and away from dogs or other nuisances.
  5. The sanitation department will pull containers from the yard to the street, for disposal at most residential locations on the day of garbage pick-up.
  6. Once garbage has been emptied, residents are responsible for moving their container off the street back to its proper location. Extra heavy work-loads, a route change, or equipment failure may cause disposal trucks to fall behind the container pull crew. Always check your container to be sure it is emptied before moving container from the street. Special services can be arranged for elderly or handicapped residents by calling the Public Works Complex.
  7. Containers may not be left next to the street at all times, since this increases the chance of potential theft or damage by traffic.
  8. The city cannot pick up extra bags piled outside city containers or cans not issued by the city. Residents with extra garbage on an ongoing basis should call the Public Works Complex for an additional city garbage can.
  9. Since containers are issued to the address, rather than to the resident, containers must be left at the existing address when a resident moves, even if within city limits.

TRASH REMOVAL

  1. For efficient pick-up, trash must be placed close to, but not in, the street.
  2. Removal trucks must be able to reach the site.
  3. Avoid locations that might result in damage to people or property. Never put trash under power lines or trees. Avoid placing trash on top of, or close to, utility meters, outlets, or maintenance stations.
  4. Do not pile trash near automobiles, mailboxes, water faucets, fire hydrants, or telephone poles.
  5. Keep trash from falling into ditches where it could block culverts, causing flooding.
  6. Yard waste (vegetative matter such as leaves, grass clippings, and limbs) is best handled by composting to provide organic matter for improved soil texture and fertility. City trucks pick up yard waste not composted, but city ordinance specifies that leaves must be bagged if put out for pickup. To make trash pickup easier, remove limbs and branches before bagging, and pile leaf bags separately from all other types of trash.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING GARBAGE OR TRASH PICKUP PLEASE CONTACT:

WEST MONROE PUBLIC WORKS COMPLEX
325-0496

ALTERNATE DISPOSAL METHODS

Please Note: When hiring contractors, specify that they will be responsible for the removal of all waste and materials from the site upon completion of the job.

APPLIANCES

The City does not collect major household appliances. Contact the Public Works Complex for a list of alternate disposal methods.

FURNITURE

Occasional disposal of small home furnishings can be handled with regular trash pick-up. Large amounts of cast-off furniture or frequent disposal of large items require special attention, resulting in extra fees charged to the resident. Contact the Public Works Complex to determine if the city might be able to dispose of these items.

PAINT

The city cannot pick up liquid paint, because it has no way to dispose of it.

OIL

Since local landfills cannot accept any waste in liquid form, the city has no way to dispose of oil.

CHEMICALS

Improper handling of hazardous materials is unlawful and dangerous. The city cannot properly dispose of these items. It is therefore unable to accept any such waste.

METAL

The city's garbage and compaction units were not designed to hold metal other than food, beverage and similar-use cans. Other pieces of metal may not be placed in city garbage cans. The city encourages saving food and beverage cans for recycling.

BATTERIES

Since no local landfill will accept batteries, they cannot be disposed of by the city.

EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS

Shotgun shells, bullets, gun powder and other potentially explosive materials are quite dangerous. They should be handled carefully and must be disposed of properly. The city cannot dispose of explosives. Louisiana State Police and Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office will answer questions, offer advice, and possibly assist using proper disposal methods.

TIRES

Due to the stringent regulations issued by the Department of Environmental Quality, tires are not taken by any local landfill. Please note that the fine for improper disposal of tires may be up to $25,000 per tire.

  1. When buying new tires, pay the disposal fee and have the dealer keep your old set of tires.
  2. Check with your local tire dealer. Many businesses will send your old tires along with theirs on an "at cost" basis.
  3. Ouachita Parish Department of Public Works will accept tires, if rims are removed. Phone 387-2382 for details.

Please Note: When hiring contractors, specify that they will be responsible for the removal of all waste and materials from the site upon completion of the job.

CONSTRUCTION & REMODELING MATERIALS

The city can handle small amounts of construction materials along with regular trash pick-up. Large jobs (more than one half trailer load) may be available as a special service for an additional fee.

CONCRETE, CINDER BLOCKS & BRICKS

The city's system is not equipped to handle heavy material such as concrete, cinder blocks and bricks.

ROOFING & SHINGLES

Since there are special handling requirements at the landfill, roofing waste cannot be removed by the city.

LARGE SHEETS OF GLASS

The city is not equipped to safely handle large pieces of glass. Any pieces small enough to fit into a regular garbage container will be disposed of with other garbage as part of regular curbside service.

LOT CLEARING/TREE TRUNKS

The city's tight schedule cannot accommodate large quantity disposal of any materials as a regular part of curbside service.

RED GARBAGE BAGS

Red bags are used by industrial and commercial establishments as a sign of hazardous waste, requiring special treatment by disposal sites.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS PLEASE CALL THE WEST MONROE PUBLIC WORKS COMPLEX 325-0496

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Residential Garbage Routes

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