Mason City Seeing Success with New Trash Service

The Mason City Council was apprised on the progress of a new trash and recycling collection program which entered into its fifth week. Mason City Public Works Director Jim Collins felt that there were some early hiccups, as expected, but things have dramatically improved.

The project that Collins is speaking of involves automatic trash trucks that do no require workers to load the trucks with trash. Instead, newly distributed totes are picked up by robotic arms which dump the trash into the truck.

Collins admits that sometimes drivers have to go back on the routes to collect trash from those who weren’t ready.

There were also residents who may not have understood the difference between recycling and trash.

The collection is not without its issues according to Collins.

Collins has seen a change in morale when it comes to the trucks which has turned very positive.

Collins says he is seeing an increase in the speed of trash and recycling collection which has allowed for his crews to dedicate more time to other crucial public works projects in Mason City.