West Columbia’s trash schedule changed for some residents. Who is affected?
Some West Columbia residents will soon notice changes to their trash schedule.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the West Columbia sanitation schedule shifted from eight-hour work days, five days a week to a split crew with 10-hour work days, four days a week, according to a letter from Mark Stanton, the city’s director of operations to City Administrator Brian Carter. It has stayed that way since.
Six years later, the department is requesting to change back to its previous schedule, which had been Monday through Friday 6:30 to 3:30.
Changes will take effect the week of April 27.
Stanton wrote that the sanitation will have routes Monday through Thursday. The current Tuesday route would be split between Monday and Tuesday. The current Thursday route would be split between Wednesday and Thursday. Yard trash and special requests would be completed on Fridays.
According to a map presented to council, areas near downtown West Columbia will have their trash picked up on Mondays, as will city residents west of Interstate 26. A section between Interstate 26 and Westwood Hills will have their trash picked up on Wednesdays. Residents generally residing between Sunset Boulevard and Jarvis Klapman Boulevard from 12th Street to Interstate 26 will also have their trash picked up on Wednesdays, including the Oakwood Village neighborhood.
Several neighborhoods off of Sunset Boulevard will see no changes, including Saluda Gardens, Saluda Terrace, Westwood Hills and Westover Acres. Neighborhoods that are both south of Meeting Street and west of 12th Street will also be unaffected, including Brookwood, Westwood and Westgate.
At Tuesday’s city council meeting, Stanton shared why the changes were necessary.
“As the city continues to grow, we’re having a hard time maintaining our schedule with yard trash. We are also spending a significant amount of overtime trying to maintain the current schedule.
The city will be sending residents postcards, notices and flyers to ensure they are aware of the changes, Stanton said.
“All residents will continue to have their household garbage picked up weekly, yard trash picked up weekly on the same day as household garbage and recycling picked up every other week on the same day,” Stanton said.
In his letter to the city manager, Stanton said that the current schedule that services two routes on Tuesdays and Thursdays “does not always allow us time to complete yard trash for the residents.”
“We feel this will cut back on the overtime we are currently experiencing while also allowing us to better serve our residents in West Columbia,” Stanton wrote.
