Excelsior Springs residents will see a change in their trash service this fall. On Oct. 1, the city will replace longtime contractor Allied Waste with Redgate Disposal, a Missouri-based hauler that will deliver new red and black carts to every household. The switch will also bring one free bulky item pickup per week and continued curbside recycling. City officials say the decision follows years of complaints about missed collections, slow customer service, and garbage spilled from bins left on the street.
Redgate Disposal, headquartered in Edgerton, MO, operates in several nearby towns, including Kearney, Wood Heights, and Lawson. Public Works Director Chad Birdsong said the company was selected through a competitive bid process for its service record and responsiveness.
“They have a proven reputation for consistent, quality service in communities like ours,” Birdsong said.
Redgate minority owner and General Manager, Jacob Peterson, shared they strive to stand out with faster resolutions and direct communication. “We want people to know they can call and actually get someone on the line who can help,” he said. “That’s the core of our business model.”
Redgate equips its trucks with cameras to document each collection, a feature Birdsong said will help settle disputes and improve accountability. In the past, the city often received complaints that Allied Waste had skipped pickups, while the hauler claimed the bins were never out or were contaminated with non-acceptable items. With video records, the city will be able to confirm whether a bin was serviced and, if not, why. “It protects both the resident and the company,” Birdsong said.
Birdsong also noted that Redgate trains employees to stop and pick up any trash that has spilled onto the street during collection, rather than leaving it behind. Crews will complete customer service training before starting routes, a step Peterson says reinforces their emphasis on professionalism. He shared that the company’s goal is to make waste collection “something people don’t have to think about.”
City Council voted unanimously to approve the contract at its Aug. 4 meeting. Four companies submitted proposals, with the lowest base bid at $18.25 per month from AAA Disposal. Birdsong told council members that Redgate’s customer service, training practices, and service features outweighed the small price difference.
The city will pay Redgate $20.90 per resident per month for their service, making it the second lowest bid submitted. Whether that will affect residents’ bills has not been announced, as the city of Excelsior Springs may determine an administrative fee that will be reflected on monthly bills.
The new bulky item service will be limited to 20 homes citywide per week and must be scheduled in advance. If that limit is reached, Redgate will schedule the pickup for the next available date. Items must be placed at the curb. “It’s not meant for clearing out an entire garage at once,” Birdsong said. “But it should make life easier for people with an old chair or mattress they’ve been trying to get rid of.”
Recycling will remain an offered service, and the city’s yard waste drop-off site will stay open. Birdsong explained that Allied Waste will collect all of its carts in late September, whether they are paid bins or bins that residents received for free. Redgate plans to roll out its own black and red carts for trash and recycling during that time.
Each household will receive one standard trash cart and one recycling cart included in their monthly bill. Additional carts will be available upon request for an extra charge. Residents who currently have extra bins or larger containers will not automatically be assigned the same amount or bin size under the new service. For this reason, Birdsong recommends contacting Redgate Disposal directly to request additional bins after Oct. 1.
Residents with questions about service, bulky item scheduling, or additional carts can contact Redgate Disposal directly at (816) 781-0344, visit their website, or see their Facebook page for more information. The company’s office is located in Edgerton, Missouri, and staff are available during regular business hours to assist customers Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
More detailed information regarding acceptable and non-acceptable materials for waste, how to schedule bulky item pickup, and the new trash day will be communicated by Redgate in welcome brochures delivered to each residence.
For city officials and residents, success will mean fewer missed pickups, fewer complaints, and faster resolutions. Petersen said his crews are ready to make these concerns a priority. “We know switching companies can be a headache for people,” he said. “We want them to see right away that it was worth it.”
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