OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Out with the old, and in with the new.
And according to some residents, it's out with convenience and in with garbage bins that are much too large.
"Having two 96-gallon carts in our garage, I don't think we have room for them," one Omaha resident said. "To put them outside, we'd have to have to have some concrete work done so we'd have a place to put them."
"Where do you put it? Coming up with that much trash, we don't do that now," another Omaha resident said. "It's going to be difficult to fill up a 96 gallon trash can."
However, the city says they have an answer for the size concerns.
Two 96-gallon carts -will be issued to each household. If this size is too big, after a 90 day trial you can request a 48 gallon option.
"We really wanted them to try it for 90 days first," Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said. "What we found was most people that used them, they got use to them and they liked them."
In August, the city awarded their 10 year solid waste contract to FCC Environmental out of Spain.
The contract is worth about $24 million a year with increases every year, and Stothert says it won't fall on the taxpayers.
"It's ten million dollars a year more than we pay currently and we feel like by carefully managing the budget and prioritizing the budget that we can pay for that, and we will without a tax increase," Stothert said.
Each household will receive two of the new carts - one cart for combining garbage and yard waste, and the other will be used for bi-weekly recycling pick up.
Resident have some time until they will receive those new carts.
The waste contract doesn't begin until 2021.
Stothert added the new waste company is hoping to expand in the Midwest.
She says FCC wants to build a headquarters and call center in Omaha.
Stothert hopes this will create jobs for Nebraska.
