Laramie residents will have only one more week to use the city’s Green Waste program, which has been in operation for seven years. The city plans to remove the green waste bins on Monday, July 31.

The city has a contract with McBride’s Yard Waste to take over collection duties, beginning on Aug. 15, for which Laramie residents can choose to participate in. As the city's program comes to an end, Laramie officials are trying to address issues that come with the change.

Laramie Mayor Andrea Summerville said reception of the city’s decision has been both good and bad.

“The feedback has been mixed,” Summerville said. “There are people that are supportive of it and looking forward to the curbside service, there are an equal number of people that are really not happy with the decision that want to keep the regional collection sites, or think that we shouldn’t have collection sites at all.”

Summerville said the city is planning for the real possibility of continued dumping at the sites once the bins have been removed.

“We certainly know that will be a real concern going forward,” she said. “For both the dumping of green waste and of course, people continue to dump trash – used sofas and things in those locations.”

Summerville said it could be a potentially serious and costly issue for the city. She said the city is working on a plan to address that eventuality, which will include signage, to be put in place once the bins are removed.

“We are going to ask everybody- a full PR campaign- to remind people that those are not dumping sites,” Summerville said. “Green waste can go to the landfill for free – we want people to know they don’t have to participate with McBride. We are asking to please not dump in those sites because it costs time and money to clean them up.”

Summerville said the city’s contract with McBride will include a weekly collection and a bin similar to the city’s trash and recycling bins will be provided. The location of the green waste bins will be different, as residents will not be able to put them in the alleyways alongside trash and recycling bins but instead along the curbside.

Laramie Public Works Director Earl Smith said the city requested in their contract with McBride’s Yard Waste that the bins not be placed in the alley as a matter of safety.

“The alleys are already congested, we have a few city bins already, power poles, gas meters, parked cars – this would only add to the congestion,” Smith said.

Smith said that while the city has had at least one complaint, the overall reception to the plan has been positive.

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