Emergency trash collection plan put in place for Polk County
Previous coverage: Frustrations pile up with uncollected trash in Polk County
Polk County commissioners have declared a local state of emergency to address ongoing missed trash collections in unincorporated parts of the county, saying they "endanger the public health, safety and welfare of Polk residents."
BARTOW, Fla. - Uncollected trash has been piling up in parts of unincorporated Polk County, but officials say a plan is now in place and residents will soon see improvements of their waste collection services.
Polk County is operating under a local state of emergency due to ongoing missed residential waste collection. The missed collections have caused solid waste to accumulate on roadways, causing safety hazards.
The county says anyone who lives east of U.S. Highway 17 whose trash is picked up by ADS will not see changes in their waste collection schedules.
However, residents west of U.S. Highway 17 whose trashed was picked up by FCC will see temporary collection changes.
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Those changes will be in effect Monday, Feb. 28 - Friday, April 1 and include:
- Household trash and bulk waste will be collected on the same day – the regularly-scheduled garbage collection day – and should be at the curb by 6 a.m.The two bulk items per week policy remains in effect.
- The two bulk items per week policy remains in effect.
- Recycling will be suspended. Recycling bins may be used for household trash.
- Yard waste collection service will not change.
- Recycling collection by FCC will resume on Monday, April 4 on an every-other-week schedule until further notice. Details of that schedule will be communicated to customers prior to April 4.
Polk County says this type of emergency plan is modeled after other effective, temporary changes put in place by governments across the country, due to challenges caused by the pandemic.