BELTON, Mo. - People living in Belton and Raymore worry the new year and a new trash provider may not solve past garbage collection problems. But in an act of good faith, the new provider, Jim’s Disposal Service, is providing services free of charge to Belton residents in the month of January.
Both cities contracted Jim's Disposal Service to handle curbside trash pick up beginning Jan. 1, but Jim's has not yet delivered the 65-gallon or 45-gallon containers to every home in the cities -- a task originally scheduled to be complete in December.
A spokesman from Jim’s said delays with the cart manufacturer and struggles customizing orders for 15,000 homes, plus the extreme cold temperatures contributed to falling behind schedule.
The city of Raymore said all residents should receive their bins in time for their first garbage collection day of the year on Jan. 3 or 4.
In Belton, trash collection began on New Year’s Day. City leaders said residents should receive bins between Jan. 2 and Jan. 16.
“Yesterday was the first day of centralized trash service in Belton, and it's turned out to be pretty terrific,” explained City Manager Alexa Barton. “We've only had about a half dozen phone calls with concerns, not really complaints.”
Still, the delay has residents worried the new service will be plagued with issues like previous contractors. Over the years, people living in Belton have had trash sit on their curbs for days past their collection date because companies repeatedly failed to pick up the garbage.
Belton decided to centralize its trash service with one provider contracted through the city. It chose Jim’s Disposal Service in a joint contract with Raymore last year.
To reassure Belton residents that they are in good hands with the new provider, despite not getting their bins on time, Jim’s Disposal Service will not charge Belton customers their monthly trash fee in January.
“They were wonderful to work with. We negotiated with them, and they knew this was something extremely important to the city of Belton. They wanted to make it right by the city and as an inconvenience to the city, provided trash service to us in January free of charge,” Barton said.
Jim’s Disposal Service asked if you do not receive a bin before your scheduled collection day, place trash in garbage bags on the curb. Sanitation workers will collect the bags.
Many bins waiting for delivery are stacked at Markey Park. In a statement, a Belton spokesperson urged residents not to take bins from the park, explaining each bin is specific to an address.
