Composting, yard-waste services to resume next week

Those who have been holding on to compost bags, limbs and other yard waste until the Cape Girardeau Public Works Department resumes its special collections won't have to wait much longer.

The city plans to begin compost, limb and brush collection services in the next week, bringing an end to a monthlong suspension.

Mississippi River flooding left the holding area for these items inaccessible. Service to the compost drop-off containers at the recycling center facility, 2007 Southern Expressway, also was suspended.

"When the river gets up and gets over the holding site down there, we suspend services," said public works director Steve Cook, noting the city has little choice. It's pretty much the only location to store the limbs and brush, plus it has the equipment to grind them up.

The special pickup is "not a big money generator" for the city, Cook said, but many people take advantage of the opportunity. He said the department has received phone calls from people wondering when services will resume. The city announced Wednesday the containers at the recycling center again will be available Friday, and special limb pickup resumes July 29.

Flooding in the Cooper Street area also has created a bit of a nuisance for work at the old wastewater treatment plant. The facility is no longer used by the city because wastewater now is processed at the new treatment plant on Corporate Circle. Still, the city is trying to prepare the old facility to be sold.

"The water's down now, and you can drive down there, but the water's still kind of high," Cook said. "We've still got some cleaning to do and some things to get done, so that's kind of held us up."

Cook hopes the facility's sale could happen sometime this year.

The city also is looking to move its trash services away from the riverside location and near other facilities on Corporate Circle and Southern Expressway. The city is working on the new transfer station with Republic Services, which has agreed to operate its hauling operation and process all solid waste from that operation through the city.

Revenue generated from the solid waste processed by the city from Republic's hauling operation, in addition to lease payments from the company for using city-owned facilities, will help pay for the new facility.

Cook said the city has weekly teleconferences with Republic and is closing in on final designs.

"It's going pretty well. We're getting to the final stages before we can approach council with a number," he said. "We don't have a final number for cost, but we're getting close."

Early estimates put the total project cost at less than $4 million.

While the department has experienced some issues with the swollen river and continues working to move more services away from it, Cook said smart decisions made by previous leaders regarding flood buyouts and precautions have kept problems from becoming severe.

"I've been around a good while and looking back the way it used to be, there's been a lot of good decisions made by people in Cape Girardeau," he said. "You don't want to say when the river's up that it's not a major event, but it's not as bad today as it was even 20 years ago."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Cooper Street, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

2007 Southern Expressway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Corporate Circle, Cape Girardeau, Mo.