Big trash bins cause concerns for Manatee County residents

As Manatee County residents continue to express concerns about the upcoming changes to the county’s garbage collection, Commissioner Carol Felts said the county is exploring options to make the transition easier.

Starting Oct. 6, residents in unincorporated Manatee County will be required to use 96-gallon, county-issued garbage bins to dispose of their trash (64-gallon bins will be issued after Jan. 1 upon request), and collection days will be limited to once a week. 

East County residents from Lakewood Ranch to Myakka City have concerns that vary accordingly. 

For rural residents, one of the concerns is that a 96-gallon trash bin could be too heavy to haul down a long driveway. For condo owners, a 96-gallon trash bin could be too bulky to store in a one-car garage. 

Many HOAs, such as those found in the Tara community, prohibit residents from leaving their garbage cans outside.

Joe Di Bartolomeo, chairman of the board for the Tara Community Development District, scheduled a Zoom meeting with county officials Aug. 7 to discuss the pending changes after Tara residents continued to approach him with questions. 

Over 70 residents and four county employees attended the meeting.

Chris Collins, Interim Deputy Director of Solid Waste, set the tone for the call by letting residents know that while the new garbage collection is a big change, it is, indeed, happening. 

“These changes were approved by our Board of County Commissioners in May of 2024,” he said. “We are just the Utilities staff that are implementing these changes and doing the best we can to work with residents. Like it or not, we can’t change a lot of this stuff.” 

Over 3,000 residents have signed a petition on Change.org asking the county to reverse its decision. Felts was not on the commission when the decision was made, but she said the contract came down to money. 

“The former board did a lot to keep (the rate) at $23.65 a month,” Felts said. “But for that, they had to agree to once a week services.”

Felts noted that the new business model for trash collection is “one guy in an automated truck,” and there’s not much “wiggle room” when there’s a limited amount of haulers to hire. The county is using Waste Pro and Waste Management. 

The main concern from Tara residents was how to comply with HOA rules that don’t allow garbage cans to be kept outside when the bins won’t fit alongside a car in smaller garages. The other main concern is that many residents won’t be home from their summer homes when the bins are due to be delivered. 

Collins could only offer a delivery time frame of Aug. 18 through the end of September. 

DiBartolomeo said he plans to contact the vendor to ask for a day or two notice in terms of delivery of the new bins and suggests other HOAs also become proactive in planning for the collection changes. 

The Tara Master Association is going to change its policy to allow owners an extra week or two to get the new bins put away, so those residents who are out of town have time to make arrangements. 

The 96-gallon bins are just 1 inch wider than the county-issued recycling bins. But if that extra inch makes a difference in a cramped garage, residents can request a 64-gallon bin after Jan. 1 by calling 792-8811. 

Rural concerns

Felts represents the rural parts of Manatee County in Myakka and Parrish. She said garbage pickup looks a lot different in the country than in the suburbs. 

For one thing, the driveways often are long. People load their garbage cans into the back of a pickup to get them to the end of the driveway, which might not be as easy with a 96-gallon can.

Courtesy image

Felts also described several communal pickup areas where there might be 24 homes bringing their trash cans to one spot because the garbage trucks can’t access the narrow, gravel road. In that case, she said 24 bins, lined up 3 feet apart to support the new automated system, is probably not going to work. The system will no longer have the worker who moves the bins by hand.

She supposes rural residents will use a lot more burn bins, but she and county staff are also looking toward dumpsters to address some of their concerns.

Dumpsters in specific communal areas are proving to be a complicated issue, Felts said, but the county is planning to host “Community Cleanup Days” where they will set up temporary dumpsters at a central location. 

Residents across the county share the concern that items that are too big to fit into the bin will now cost $59 a piece for pickup.

Residents can drop a carload of trash at the Lena Road landfill for $5. But that isn’t free, and if you live in Myakka City or West Bradenton, it’s also inconvenient. 

Communications Coordinator Tina Moutoux Saldana said the first cleanup day will likely be held in January in Myakka City. The details are not completely worked out yet, but the county would like to host eight a year in different locations. 

“You still have to get your stuff to the dumpster,” Felts said. “But that’s a heck of a lot better than having to pay $59 to pick up your kid’s old bicycle (because it won’t fit in the bin). It’s going to be a big help.”