The trash service in Alva has been replaced by a new vendor causing the university dumpsters to change locations and size.
On December 2, 2024, the city’s new trash service went into effect.
The city’s previous trash service was changed to a privatized service which accounted for new bins, locations, and pickup days.
The new trash service has received a lot of hate from the Alva community. However, it also affects the students specifically students staying in the dorms. All the dumpsters that were owned by Northwestern were then replaced by the new vendor.
The new trash service has required a change in scheduling and dumpster locations for Northwestern.
“When the city changed their trash service and privatized the service, all of the trash dumpsters that were owned by NWOSU were replaced by the new vendor,” said Executive Vice President Dr. David Pecha.
With the new service, the routes have changed to accommodate the accessibility of the larger trucks.
The original dumpster locations on campus have been altered to accommodate the larger trash truck and the larger sizing of the dumpsters.
The new trash truck has an overhead lift, which requires the dumpsters’ location to be adjusted so it’s easily accessible. “They’re a little bit larger in size than what our old roll off dumpsters were…,” said Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Matt Adair. “In order to be able to create the space needed to do that we’ve had to reposition some of the campus dumpsters.”
One of the biggest areas impacted was Cunningham Hall.
The Cunningham Hall dumpsters have been moved to the back of the South parking lot. The dumpsters used to be easily accessible next to the dorm. Now, students have to walk the length of the parking lot to dispose of their trash which is out of the way of what they were normally walk. However, there is more room to park closer to the building now.
“I think the dumpster moving farther is okay,”said Savannah Mingus, a junior Health and Sports Science major. “It’s more of a pain to take out my trash but it also opened up some more room for parking. And with the weather warming up, I don’t mind the walk as much but when it was cold and snowy out I wasn’t a big fan of the move.”
Adair said the biggest area of concern he is dealing with is the dumpster location change at Cunningham Hall. He also said it’s a temporary measure and that they’re working with the maintenance department, the city and the trash collection company to find a better space. “…We are optimistic that we’re going to find optimal locations for all of the dumpster spots very, very soon,” Adair said.