WHO: City of Laredo Solid Waste Services Department

WHAT: Green trash bin distribution in Districts II, VI & VII

WHEN& Wednesday, January 12, 2005

WHERE: Houses in Country Club Estates and Heritage Park off US Hwy 359 will get their green bins.

Saturday, January 15, 2005

Houses in La Bota Ranch and Indian Sunset Subdivision off Mines Road will get their green bins.

See attached maps for specific highlighted streets.

WHY: The Solid Waste Department will distribute a total of 1,902 96-gallon green garbage bins to residents in the areas mentioned above. “Criteria such as street levels, house spacing, street width and equipment avail- ability are all used to decide which routes are next to receive a new trash bin to better accommodate the new automated trucks,” said Oscar J. Medina, Director of the Solid Waste Department. “Eventually, all Solid Waste customers will have a green can. If you do not have one yet, please be patient. We will eventually get to your neighborhood,” Medina added.

The green trash bin is intended to compliment the City of Laredo’s twice-a-week curbside pick-up recycling program, the only such program on the Texas border. “If residents properly utilize the blue bags for all their recyclables, then the 96-gallon, lovely green garbage can should be enough to handle even the largest family’s trash,” said Willie Bote, the Solid Waste Department’s mascot and recycling spokesperson. “Remember, paper, plastic, tin and aluminum are just some of the material that can be recycled, saving our environment, space at our landfill and even, money,” he added.

The green trash bins are purchased at a cost of $50 each and are designed specifically for the automated trucks. The Solid Waste Department was the pilot city for the company’s automated garbage truck, which uses a mechanical “arm” to lift the bin and dump the trash into its load. The new trucks help speed up the time necessary to pick up trash and should reduce worker injury.