Columbus will introduce a state-of-the-art trash service on May 4 designed to make it easier for residents to get rid of hard-to-dispose items.
On Tuesday, Columbus Board of Works and Public Safety members unanimously approved a contract with a new web-based software company called Curb It.
The agreement calls for the Greenwood-based firm to provide city residents a free app to be used for scheduling special refuse pickups, said Columbus director of public works Bryan Burton.
“(Curb It) is a one-stop shop that will take you to the right vendor who can pick up hard-to-dispose items,” Burton said.
Besides furniture and appliances that city crews already pick up upon request, the Curb It app can also connect residents with vendors willing to take away hazardous materials, such as televisions and other electronics, that the city doesn’t normally collect, Burton said.
However, fees will be collected for hauling away hazardous materials, and Curb It collects a certain percentage of those fees from vendors they have under contract, he said.
Since Columbus is the first Indiana community to sign up with the new service, Curb It has agreed not to charge either the city nor its residents the fees regarding non-hazardous disposals, Burton said.
The city has already done about 700 collections since last summer through Curb It on a test basis, and Burton says he’s pleased with how well the service has worked.
While the contract approved Tuesday is only for residents of Columbus, rural residents have other options such a Junk Pro of Columbus for similar services, he said.
