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City reports 59% of new carts delivered; residents told old carts to be picked up in late March
Summary
Engineering staff told the council that about 22,000 of 37,000 new carts (59%) have been delivered and that Waste Management is scheduled to retrieve old carts during the last two weeks of March; the city said missed pickups should be reported so retrieval can be coordinated.
City engineering staff updated the Waukesha Common Council on March 4 about the citywide rollout of new waste carts and the planned retrieval of old carts by Waste Management.
Alex (Board of Public Works/engineering representative) said about 59% of the new carts — roughly 22,000 of an estimated 37,000 total — had been delivered as of the March 4 meeting and that deliveries were slightly ahead of schedule. He said the plan is for Waste Management to pick up the old carts during the last two weeks of March, though the retrieval effort will be “a rather complicated endeavor.”
Why it matters: the transition involves household waste collection logistics, contract coordination with Waste Management and potential resident inconvenience if carts are missed. The city asked residents to report missed pickups promptly so engineering staff can forward issues to Waste Management and avoid stray carts remaining in neighborhoods.
Council discussion: Alderman Rick Lemke asked whether Waste Management could pick up a property’s old cart in cases where residents already began using the new city cart; staff said the contract does not require Waste Management to collect an individual wrong cart at the curb and that the city’s remedies are limited; officials noted the city could withhold payment under the contract but otherwise is working with the contractor to coordinate pickups. Questions were also raised about residents not returning carts intentionally; staff said they did not expect Waste Management to track down intentionally hidden carts and that billing for unretrieved carts would not be immediate.
Next steps: residents with missed pickups should report them to engineering or use the city website reporting tools; the city will monitor the retrieval and coordinate with Waste Management’s subcontractor.
