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As Miami University students moved back to Oxford for the start of the school year, some residents, students and property managers complained about an abundance of refuse, particularly recycled trash, that Rumpke was unable to pick up.
With the large number of students returning to Oxford, the city gained an estimated additional 40 tons of solid waste and recycling from Aug. 16 through the week of Aug. 20, said David Treleaven, an environmental specialist with the city.
"On the whole, move in and move out are very difficult with this volume of stuff," said Oxford Vice Mayor Prue Dana.
According to Treleaven, Oxford normally acquires around 130 tons of solid waste and recycling a week. He said move-in week increases refuse by about 35 percent, and the numbers may be even higher for move-out week at the end of the school year.
Treleaven said to counter this problem each year, Oxford offers additional move-in refuse, or garbage, collection to the Mile Square area, between Chestnut Street, Sycamore Street, Patterson Avenue and Locust Street. This collection is unlimited, meaning that during that time Oxford does away with one time per week residential collection and the 10-container limit per residential account that is set during the rest of the year. He said the additional service is offered only to residential properties and not to commercial properties.
The main issues this year with trash pickup came from off-street parking extending to alleys and vehicles blocking one-way alleys while students were moving in, said Treleaven. In addition, Treleaven noted there was a lot of dumpster overflow that prevented Rumpke vehicles from lifting dumpsters to trucks for emptying.
"Cars were improperly parked, and that blocked trucks from getting down alleyways," Treleaven said. "The only full street that was affected was Heather Lane, a one-way street off of Spring Street."
Treleaven recognizes that students may not yet be informed of their schedule or city requirements for trash pickup, but he notes that residents must be aware that a missed dumpster pickup as the result of an overflow is a residential issue and not the responsibility of Rumpke to clean up.
Dana also noted problems with trash pickup as a result of student move in.
She said one of the problems with not getting pickup is that once Rumpke misses a week, trash can begin to pile up.
Treleaven said the trash pickup is a problem that occurs every year, and he considers these first couple weeks of classes a period of education for students. He said this is the time when students need to learn trash collection days and how to properly prepare items for pickup, such as breaking down cardboard for more space.
He said that on any given day, he receives three or four reports of missed trash collection from around the city. If there is a complaint of missed pickup, Treleaven said collection crews are notified and they have 24 hours to take care of the pickup. Should trash pickup still not occur, Oxford code enforcement may step in to examine the problem.
While missed trash collection may occur on occasion throughout the year, Treleaven encourages students to learn Oxford's trash pickup requirements.
According to Oxford's Web page, container requirements state that "containers shall be constructed in such manner as to be strong, not easily corrodible, rodent-proof and of a capacity of not more than 32 gallons or weighing more than 60 pounds loaded, or in dumpster containers approved by the service director capable of being lifted mechanically by the waste contractor." In addition: "Recyclable materials may be accumulated in the recycling container issued to each customer or in a larger container, which is approved for garbage or refuse accumulation."
Dana said part of the learning period with trash pickup is getting people to understand and follow these directions.
"We as property owners are ultimately responsible for our property to do the right thing," Dana said.
