Residents along several streets on the north end of Festus did not have the cans they use to dispose of recyclable items emptied this week, but city officials say they are trying to fix the problem.
City Administrator Happy Welch said that Progressive Waste Services – the company under contract to remove garbage and recyclable items throughout the city – recently got new, taller trucks, and drivers became concerned that the taller trucks may hit and damage low-hanging communication wires on Huber, Joachim, Woodrow and Valentine streets. So, those drivers did not pick up recyclable items on those streets on Wednesday, the normal day for recyclables pickup there.
“They (Progressive drivers) got new trucks about a foot taller than the old ones for recycling,” Welch said. “The drivers are responsible for hitting wires.”
Welch said he expects those low-hanging wires to be raised and recycling services to resume on those four streets next week.
He said Progressive employees will begin noting the addresses with low-hanging communication wires and the company will report them to city staff. The city staff members, in turn, will relay the addresses to Charter Communications, thought to be the company that owns most of the low-hanging wires.
“Charter said it will raise the lines within two days after we call them,” Welch said. “We’re asking Progressive to tell us all the addresses so we can call it in as one group and get it done.”
If a low-hanging wire turns out to belong to a company or utility other than Charter, the city will relay that information to the party responsible for raising the wires, Welch added
“Wires, by city code, must be 18 feet above street level,” he said.
Welch said Progressive is supposed to eventually switch to taller trucks for trash pickup, too.
He said he asked company officials to continue using the shorter trucks until the situation with the low-hanging wires is corrected in order to avoid problems with customers’ garbage collection services.
He said if similar problems occur on other streets, people should call the municipal Public Works Department at 636-937-6646.