35-Gallon Automated Refuse Carts to be Offered

Madison - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said today that in response to feedback from the public, the City of Madison will expand the selection of automated refuse cart sizes to include 35-gallon carts. Carts will also be offered in 65-gallon and 95-gallon sizes, as they are for the automated recycling program. "A number of residents have raised concerns about not having the smallest cart size available," said Cieslewicz. "City government needs to be responsive to its customers, and in this case, offering more options is a reasonable step to take. Automated recycling has been a remarkable success for taxpayers and the environment alike. We hope to achieve many of the same benefits with automated refuse collection." The Streets Division is sending out a cart size selection mailing to all City of Madison households in the coming days. Although the mailer has already been printed and won't reflect the 35-gallon cart size option, there are options for selecting that size: • Visiting the refuse cart selection website, www.cityofmadison.com/carts, which will include all three cart size options (note: the 35-gallon option may not be available on the website until after the mailing is sent, so please do not visit the website until the mailer has been received). • Noting on the mailer itself that you would like a 35-gallon cart. In addition, a separate mailing will be sent to the approximately 5,000 households that are using 35-gallon recycling carts to ensure they are aware that a similar option exists for refuse carts. In selecting the appropriate cart size, Madisonians are encouraged to base their selection on the maximum usage they might have over the course of the year. Unlike automated recycling, refuse that is not in the cart will not be collected, so it is important to select a cart size that can accommodate all of your refuse needs in any given week. Cieslewicz said that although his own home has a very small garage, he is planning to order the 65-gallon cart to ensure that all his refuse will always fit inside. The automated refuse collection program, like automated recycling, is designed to improve the quality and efficiency of basic City services. The automated system allows the City to utilize fewer vehicles to collect items from more households, saving staff costs and reducing fuel consumption and emissions. In addition, the automated recycling program has significantly expanded the range of materials that can be recycled. Recycling rates are up 35% as a result. Cieslewicz thanked Alds. Ken Golden, Tim Gruber, Robbie Webber and Cindy Thomas for their assistance with the new policy.