Gainesville residents to get free use of trash carts as part of weekly service

The city of Gainesville announced recently that residents will now receive a free wheeled trash cart to use at no additional charge for weekly trash pickup from Green for Life Environmental Inc. (GFL). 

“This will make it possible to put trash out the evening before trash pickup and not be worried that animals will tear the bags open,” City Clerk Lisa Goodnight said. 

The carts are owned by GFL and should not be damaged or taken away from the residences where they’re left. 

Residents who already have a trash cart that they were renting from the previous trash service, WCA, which was purchased by GFL, will keep that cart and will not receive a new one, Goodnight said. If those customers were paying annual fees for those carts, they will receive a prorated refund directly from GFL.   

The city says that residential customers should bag their trash before putting it into the trash cart. Trash that isn’t bagged will be picked up, but if debris is spread when the cart is emptied into the trash-collection truck, the driver or crew members will not pick it up. 

The trash pickup service prohibits disposal of appliances, yard waste, tires and paint cans with any liquid paint inside. 

Customers who may need more than one cart can rent them at an additional charge at GFL. Goodnight said the carts will be delivered to city residents the second week in November. 

For more information, call City Hall, 417-679-4858.