Some Columbia residents receive roll carts during first day of distribution Monday

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The city-wide distribution of the long-awaited roll carts began on Monday for Columbia residents.

Rehrig Pacific, a vendor for Columbia's Solid Waste Utility, started delivering carts at 7 a.m.

Mark Neal and Amanda Brown were among the residents to receive their roll carts on the first day. Neal and Brown said the deliveries went smoothly and they believe the cart will make taking out the trash easier.

Neal also said he feels the informational labels on each cart will make using them simple.

"The lid's got all the information on it saying there's something about it has to be eight feet away from anything," Neal said. "So, I mean you basically just read the thing, it has pictures and everything stating all of that."

The carts also specify that the lids on the carts need to remain closed and no hazardous wastes or electronics can be thrown inside of them. Carts must also have at least three feet of space between one another.

City of Columbia Utilities Spokesman Matt Nestor said the city had distributed 1,256 roll carts by 2:30 p.m. Monday. This put crews on track to reach the goal of 1,500-2,000 per day, according to Nestor.

Distribution of the roll carts includes attaching wheels, placing carts, and scanning the barcodes.

Crew leader Terry Pendergrass said cart delivery went smoothly overall, however, workers ran into issues with the barcode scanner not working at times. Pendergrass also said having all three cart sizes on each truck slowed down their workflow.

Solid Waste staff were expected to work with Rehrig Pacific to determine the most optimal placement of the cart for collection at each location. Crews will leave the carts in the spot where customers should leave them on collection day, according to a news release.

Melissa Parker also received her cart on Monday and said the neighborhood she lives in frequently ran into issues with animals ripping apart full trash bags set out on the curb. Parker said she's hopeful the use of the carts will prevent that issue.

"I don't know if it was raccoons or foxes or what but they were constantly tearing our trash out," Parker said. "So, I'm hoping that you know with the lids and all this they won't be able to knock them over and leave all the trash all in our yard for us to pick up the next day."

Distribution started with customers who receive collection services on Monday, once Monday routes are completed the city will then move on to Tuesday's customers and so forth, according to Nestor.

Distribution is expected to take approximately four weeks. Customers are asked to continue leaving their trash bags at the curb until automated collection begins on Monday, March 4. Carts left at the curb before then will not be emptied, according to Nestor.

Parker said her main concern is with figuring out where to store her family's cart until March.

"Do we put it in the backyard, do we take it to the fence? I'm not really sure what we're supposed to do with it," Parker said. "But I guess we just have to ride it out until they say we can actually use it and find a place for it."

Nestor said a few of the areas that received carts Monday include:

• Primrose Drive
• Garden Drive
• Angels Rest Way
• Cedar Falls Lane
• McMickle Drive
• Ivanhoe Blvd.

Customers can view delivery schedule updates by downloading the CoMo Recycle and Trash app or following Columbia Recycle and Trash on Facebook.

In a news release, the city asked residents to remain patient as the city switches to the new collection process. City officials say it may take longer for crews to pick up trash as they become used to new routes and new machinery.