Map shows new zones identifying trash collection days. Click to enlarge.

Davidson residents will be issued new trash and recycling bins over the next two weeks and many households will see their pickup days change when the town adopts a new four-day-a-week trash and every-other-week week recycling schedule beginning Oct. 1.

Contractor Republic Waste Services next week will begin collecting old garbage carts and recycling bins, and delivering new carts to each household. The swaps will happen on regular Wednesday collection days the next two weeks, Sept. 19 and 26. You’ll get a new, black 96-gallon cart for garbage and a new, red 96-gallon cart for recycling. Town officials ask that you put out your old bins on those dates so Republic can make the switch.

Meanwhile, pickup schedules also will change Oct. 1. Instead of trash and recycling pickups every Wednesday, Republic will collect trash weekly on different days depending on your neighborhood. (See the map above; see also a listing of streets and pickup days (PDF).)

Recycling, using the larger bins, will be collected every other week. See below for more about every-other-week pickup dates.

For more information, please see the town website, www.townofdavidson.org/GarbageSchedule or call Public Works and Project Manager Doug Wright at 704-940-9625.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

The town offered the following FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions):

Q. What are the changes? In the fall of 2012, the town will be making the following changes to the solid waste collection program:

•  The red and blue 18-gallon recycle bins will be replaced with a red 96-gallon recycle rollout cart, identical, except for color, to the current garbage cart
• Garbage and yard waste will be collected every week
• The new 96-gallon recycle cart will be collected every other week
• New garbage rollout carts will be delivered, and old garbage rollout carts will be collected. The town will no longer collect solid waste from old carts.
• Garbage, recycling, and yard waste will be collected on a 4-day schedule, Monday-Thursday. Please look at the attached map to determine your collection day. (For example, Wednesday is collection day for the River Run neighborhood — garbage and yard waste can be set out every Wednesday, and recyclables set out every other Wednesday). Attached please find an alphabetical listing by street name, indicating collection days for all areas of town.
• The town is no longer collecting appliances. These should be hauled to the North Mecklenburg Recycling Center on Hwy 21 (Statesville Rd) in Huntersville.

Q. Why is the town making these changes?
A. Bi-Weekly Recycle Cart: The waste collection industry is moving toward automated collection of recyclables. As other municipalities have converted from 18-gallon recycle bins to 96-gallon recycle carts, recycling participation has universally increased. In 2011, Davidson’s recycle participation rate was 13% of the total waste tonnage produced. We have set a goal of 20% for 2015, and see this change as an essential part of that effort. (See more on what can be recycled.)

4-Day Collection Route: The town’s waste vendor, Republic Waste Services, will have equipment operating in town 4 days each week. This will allow us to better rectify any missed collections or customer requests.

Recycling weeks are highlighted in red. This is an image of a postcard being sent to all households.

Where do I store my new recycle cart?

Accommodating an additional 96-gallon container will be harder for some property owners than others. Residents in townhomes, utilizing “corrals” to hide containers, may want to consider replacing 20% of those garbage containers with recycle containers. Residents in multi-family complexes, utilizing dumpsters, will be provided with 2 recycle carts per dumpster. Most residents will want to keep one red bin to use inside their house, and to convey recycles to the cart outside. Residents of the City of Charlotte and the Towns of Huntersville and Cornelius have all made this change successfully.

What if I lose track of which week is recycle pick-up week?

The town will provide a postcard calendar showing recycle pick-up weeks. Information is also on the town’s website at www.townofdavidson.org/GarbageSchedule.

When will the changes take place?

Old carts will be collected and new carts delivered on September 19 and 26. The week of October 1 will be the first recycling week.