Hoover officials urge patience with transition in garbage, recycle services

Phones have been ringing off the hook at the Hoover Public Works Department with complaints about garbage and recycling pickup as the city transitions to a new service provider.

Many of the complaints deal with switching out the old garbage and recycling carts for new ones, but some people are experiencing problems getting their garbage or recyclables picked up since the new company, Santek/Waste Services of Alabama, took over the job on Oct. 1.

Hoover’s executive director, Allen Pate, is encouraging people to be patient. It takes a lot of time to pick up 50,000 garbage and recycling carts and distribute new ones, Pate said. Plus, Santek has a lot of new drivers learning new routes, and it may take some time for them to figure them out, Pate said.

“You may see them out as late as sundown collecting garbage” for a while, he said.

It hasn’t helped that Santek had a telephone outage at their office in Gardendale, said Robin Mangino, administrative services supervisor for the Hoover Public Works Department.

Santek also on Oct. 1 took over garbage pickup in Gardendale, which is experiencing similar delays.

Here is what to do for various problems:

If Santek has not picked up your garbage or recyclables on the scheduled day or if you have not received a new gray cart for garbage or blue cart for recyclables:

Call Santek at 631-1313 or the Hoover Public Works Department at 739-7147 or 444-7543.

If Republic/BFI Waste Services has not picked up your old carts:

Call the Hoover Public Works Department at 739-7147 or 444-7543.

Republic hired a subcontractor to start picking up the old carts on Oct. 1, Mangino said. The company has divided the city of Hoover into four sections and will proceed from one section to the next throughout the month of October, she said.

If the city receives a large number of complaints from a particular area, the city will send a crew to pick up the old carts in that area, she said.

City officials are asking people to lay the old, empty carts down on their side so the new vendor will not have to waste time checking them for garbage or recyclables, Mangino said. People should place the small recycle carts inside the larger carts to save space, she said.

Alternatively, people who are ready to get rid of their old carts immediately can bring their old carts to either the back of the Hoover Public Safety Center off U.S. 31 near Valleydale Road or to the lower parking lot at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

If you want to exchange your 96-gallon recyclable cart for a smaller one:

Call Santek at 631-1313 to arrange for the exchange at your house, or bring your new 96-gallon cart to the lower parking lot at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium and exchange it there.

Pate said once the city makes it through this transition period, he believes residents will be happy with the new service provider.

For additional updates, see the garbage and recycling link on the city of Hoover’s website at www.hooveral.org.