KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are prompting a local trash company to scale back the collection of yard waste.
In a release on Monday, Waste Management of Kansas said it is suspending the collection of yard waste for residential customers in Shawnee, Overland Park, Lenexa, Merriam, Leawood, Olathe, Blue Springs and Independence.
The suspension, which takes effect on Monday, Aug. 10, will allow the company to focus on residential trash and recycling collection.
“Temporarily suspending collection of yard waste collection will allow us to maximize available labor resources and route assets to concentrate efforts on core collection services,” Waste Management spokesperson Paul Howe said in the release.
Howe said the company hopes to resume yard waste collection on Sept. 7, though the pandemic makes planning difficult.
“We monitor changes daily and watch trends in our workforce and the community,” Howe said. “If developments require further action, we will communicate with our customers as soon as possible.”
The company says alternatives to yard waste collection are available on Johnson County, Kansas, Environmental Division’s website.
