08-02-2025
New garbage containers coming soon
With the city's decision last month to change garbage haulers, Hutchinson residents can expect new garbage and composting containers to be delivered to their homes soon.
City Administrator Matt Jaunich told the City Council Tuesday that the new hauler, Willmar-based West Central Sanitation, expects to deliver the carts the weeks of Sept. 14 and Sept. 21.
Both carts will be green, but the one for garbage will have a black lid, while the one for the organic compostable materials will have green lids. West Central also has McLeod County's contract for the collection of recyclable materials and uses green carts with gold lids for that.
Upon delivery of the new carts, residents should check that the carts are the size they use – 30-, 60- or 90-gallon.
Waste Management, Hutchinson's garbage hauler for the past 20 years, will collect its containers near the end of the month.
'People may have five carts for a few days,' Jaunich said.
Waste Management's current five-year contract ends Sept. 30, so residents should continue to set out their Waste Management garbage and compost containers until then, Jaunich added. West Central containers should be used starting Thursday, Oct. 1.
Residents with questions about the garbage and/or compost containers during the transition period, or who need to change the size delivered by West Central Sanitation, may call City Center at 320-234-5672.
City officials last month praised the service Waste Management provided but went with the lower cost bid from West Central. Its proposal is $23,000 less per year than Waste Management charges now. Waste Management's bid for the next five years would have increased its charge by $19,000 more per year. Thus the gap between the two bids is about $42,000 per year, or $210,000 over the five-year period.
