Excelsior Springs, Mo. (Dec. 22, 2024) – Excelsior Springs is shifting back to a five-day-per-week trash and recycling collection schedule starting January 6, 2025. The change follows persistent complaints from residents about the “one-day blast” pickup model introduced by Republic Services in August 2023. The one-day system often resulted in missed pickups, with entire streets or neighborhoods left uncollected.
In a proactive move, the City Council renewed Republic Services’ contract but negotiated new provisions, including reimplementing the five-day schedule. Residents whose collection day will change from Tuesday will receive postcards with details about their new pickup day if they haven’t already.
Public Works Director Chad Birdsong outlined several benefits of returning to the previous system. “Consistency in who our drivers are will be a major improvement. Many of these drivers served the community before and are familiar with the routes and our winding streets,” Birdsong said. He added that the drivers miss the relationships they built with customers and are excited to return. The new system will also allow quicker resolution of missed pickups, with trucks returning to the community daily, Monday through Friday.
Although the council considered seeking bids from other waste management companies, Birdsong explained that using another service might not result in lower costs. Republic Services owns the nearest landfills, meaning other companies would still rely on Republic’s facilities. That, coupled with the unknowns of a bidding process, could have raised costs even further for the city.
Republic Services has committed to additional improvements, including addressing cart damage caused by trucks, launching a replacement cart program, and reintroducing a “not-out list” to track and document missed pickups. Republic also allowed an addendum to the contract, permitting Excelsior Springs to opt out if Republic is not meeting the community’s needs.
Republic Services has sent notices out to only the areas that are changing from Tuesday. So if your house is still in the Tuesday area, you will not receive a postcard notice from them. Only the residents with a day change will receive the postcard.
Residents experiencing trash service issues are encouraged to contact the Public Works Department directly at (816) 630-0755.
The City has provided an interactive map and more information can be found on their website here.
12/26/24 at 12:55pm: This story has been updated to include the City’s interactive map for trash collection.
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