Syracuse, N.Y. – City-issued rolling garbage containers are coming to 25,600 properties under the second phase of Syracuse’s new trash collection system.
The $2.6 million cart program launched with a test phase in June covering 6,800 properties, about 20% of residential customers, in neighborhoods throughout the city. Following six weeks to make tweaks in response to Syracuse Common Council feedback, the city Department of Public Works is ready to deliver the remaining containers. They will go out starting the day after Labor Day and all will be delivered within two weeks.
The new 96-gallon wheeled trash cans can be emptied into collection trucks using an automated lift system, a feature aimed at reducing worker injuries. City officials have estimated that the system could reduce workers compensation costs, which stand at $4 million annually, by up to $1.7 million each year.
At a council committee meeting Monday to have one final discussion before the next rollout, Chief Operations Officer Corey Driscoll Dunham said there have been no workplace injuries for crews working the new cart routes so far.
Public Works Commissioner Jeremy Robinson told councilors that the crews had some initial reservations, but even the most experienced workers have now embraced it.
“They don’t go home all beat up,” he said. “They don’t go home messy.”
City of Syracuse sanitation workers set up garbage carts to be unloaded by the automated system attached to their truck on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.
The other goal of the program was to help improve cleanliness in the city through the implementation of a standard trash collection container and a clear set of rules for setting them out.
The container itself works well for Gene Davis, who lives on Lilac Street on the city’s north side. Sitting on the front porch Monday with his mother, Lola, Davis said the wheeled cans are sturdy. The family had problems with cans they bought in the past getting damaged by DPW crews tossing them back to the curb area.
Davis does take issue with some of the new cart rules, believing they are senseless. That includes a requirement that all trash inside the container be kept in bags, or it won’t be taken.
“It’s just silly things,” he said. “For the most part, it’s not a big deal.”
Driscoll Dunham reported in mid-July that 98% of residents in the test phase were complying with the new rules. Of the 2% that had an initial violation of the rule, three out of every four corrected the issue, bringing the overall compliance rate to 99.5%.
Several councilors, however, said they received complaints from constituents and wanted to see some changes. Public Works Committee Chair Amir Gethers even introduced a resolution ahead of the council’s July 24 meeting that would temporarily suspend the program’s rollout.
City officials responded with a series of proposed changes to the program, and Gethers agreed to hold off voting on the suspension resolution. Monday’s meeting was a chance to brief councilors ahead of next week’s rollout.
Robinson has submitted legislation that would reduce fines for violations related to the new carts from $350 to $175 after councilors said the penalty for a new program was too severe. That change to the garbage ordinance will be on the agenda for the next council meeting set for Wednesday.
The second phase of the program will also have a longer grace period for residents to get used to the system. In the beginning of the testing phase, the city issued warnings to violators for the first two weeks, then began issuing violation notices.
In the next rollout, the warning program will be in place for four to six weeks. Violation notices won’t be starting until late October, Driscoll Dunham said.
Another change coming in the second phase will be the deadline for residents to get their emptied containers pulled back from the curb. The ordinance currently states that must be done by 6 p.m. on pickup day, or 12 hours after residents are required to have the carts set out. Councilors pointed out that this is an unrealistic requirement for many people who may not be home for much of the day, so legislation to move that deadline to 6 a.m. the next day is forthcoming.
Councilors also asked the city administration to explore options to serve large families who may need more than a single 96-gallon cart. At Monday’s meeting, Driscoll Dunham asked the council to consider options to address that problem that include providing a second cart for free, charging a one-time fee for additional carts or charging a recurring fee. The city is already providing one cart for free.
Common Council President Helen Hudson said she’s concerned about another fee for residents, whom she described as being “nickeled and dimed” enough already.
Driscoll Dunham said concerns about free second carts include the added cost to the city for the carts themselves and the additional garbage pickup. There’s also concern that some landlords who own properties outside the city council get unlimited carts and start dumping trash in them from outside the city.
“It might be ripe for abuse, so that’s why we need to find the middle ground,” Driscoll Dunham said.
A third phase for automated carts in Syracuse will come in 2024, when the city begins to issue them for recycling, replacing bins. The plan for now is to use the same size as the trash containers, but make them a different color and pickups will be every other week.
City crews will dispose of existing trash cans for free after the new carts are delivered. Residents need to place them at the curb and attach a note directing that they be taken.
City reporter Jeremy Boyer can be reached at jboyer@syracuse.com, (315) 657-5673, Twitter or Facebook.