65 Gallon Bins, Automated Trash Trucks Coming This Summer

We reported about it weeks ago, but the city today officially announced that Cranston is adopting an automatic trash collection program this summer.

Each household will receive two bins, one each for recycling and garbage.

"Automatic trash collection has proven successful in many other communities statewide, and brings with it a host of benefits," Cranston Mayor Allan W. Fung said in a release.

One of the primary impetuses for the switch to the new bins is the ever-irksome, persistent presence of rats throughout the city. The new bins are made with heavy-duty plastic and secure lids that deter animals and make it much harder to enter.

The other key benefit is the sheer volume a 65-gallon recycling bin offers compared to the existing bins which are relativley small, flimsy and tend to crack and deteiorate as they're emptied each week.

Many households have indicated that the current recycling bins are not large enough, particularly given the larger variety of materials that are now recyclable.   

“Both for the environment and for the budget, increasing our recycling diversion rate is critical," the mayor said.

The state expects communities to have at least a 35 percent recycling rate and falling short means higher tipping fees at the Central Landfill in Johnston.

With the new bins, residents are expected to roll them to the curb as usual, but only trash that can fit inside the containers will be removed. You'll still have to call Waste Management to schedule a bulky pickup, including mattresses, and that can cost extra.

Households that need an extra bin "may pay $150 per year for an additional bin," according to the release.

A typical family of four can fit its trash in a 65 gallon bin but "the mayor acknowledge that for some residents, this program will constitute a change from what they are used to for trash collection," the release stated. "However, issues of public health associated with rodents and regulations for recycling rates have made it so that Cranston must move in a new direction.”

The City Council is scheduled to vote on an ordinance authorizing the switch at it's next full meeting on Feb. 24.

Got a question? Call Jeff Barone, Director of Constituent Affairs, at 401-780-3123.