By Autumn Foltz
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) — Last week, Fayetteville schools were closed for four consecutive days due to a winter storm causing hazardous road conditions.
Snow and ice can cause all kinds of businesses to shut down, including the city of Fayetteville’s trash and recycling pickup collections for Tuesday and Wednesday services. Canceling these services ensures the safety of residents and city workers. Icy roads and Fayetteville’s steep hills are extremely risky for large garbage trucks and other vehicles.
The service areas that were impacted include Tuesday collections in Northwest Fayetteville and Wednesday collections in Southwest Fayetteville.
Peter Nierengarten, the city of Fayetteville’s Environmental Director, said the suspension was necessary because of the unsafe road conditions.
“[Our vehicles] don’t have particularly good traction in the snow and what adds an extra degree of difficulty for Fayetteville is our hilly terrain and the slick streets. It just makes it a little bit too dangerous for us to be out there in these really large vehicles, risking losing traction and sliding into someone else’s car or some other object and risking damage. A lot of damage can occur with one of these large vehicles if it gets out of control on a slick street.”
The city of Fayetteville anticipated the weather before it came, so they decided to complete commercial dumpster collections early on Tuesday instead of its normal time on Wednesday. Nierengarten said the businesses that count on commercial dumpster collections “should be in shape for another day or two.”
Residents who have already placed their trash and recycling bins at the curb should keep them there until it is safe to retrieve. When it is safe enough, residents are encouraged to secure their bins to ensure wind or snow does not impact them. The city of Fayetteville’s trash and recycling pickup service will collect pickups that were missed on the residents’ next scheduled collection day, either Tuesday or Wednesday of the following week.
Residents who are scheduled for Tuesday services can put their trash and recycling bins at the curb for next Tuesday’s collection. Wednesday service residents can put their bins out for next Wednesday’s collection. This link provides access to your pickup service day by putting in your address.
The city of Fayetteville has knowledge that the suspension can cause an inconvenience for some residents. Nierengarten said he wants to ensure residents and garbage pickup service workers that their safety is the top priority. The roads and driving conditions will continue to be observed.
An additional tip for residents during this winter weather is to not drive unless you have to. Even though garbage trucks are large and do not have the best traction, any vehicle can slide on snow or ice. When approaching a stop sign or stop light, brake well beforehand because it is easy to slide into an intersection. It can be very difficult to control a vehicle that is sliding, even if it is four-wheel drive. Stay cautious of the road conditions, especially on hills because ice is prone to build up quicker.
Residents can keep watch on the city of Fayetteville’s website or social media for updates relating to the continuation of garbage and recycling pickup services.
Stay safe and wait until it is safe to retrieve your trash and recycling bins!
