Here is what Covington’s new public trash receptacles will look like, but painted black.
COVINGTON, Ky. - Covington has agreed to accept a Wisconsin company’s bid to replace public trash receptacles on street corners, which doesn’t seem like a big deal until you consider:
- The bid calls for about 235 receptacles.
- Covington has set aside $200,000 for the purchase from a federal grant.
- Collectively, the containers will hold almost 10,000 gallons of trash.
- And they weigh 200 pounds each.
“One way to look at it - this is about 23½ tons of trash cans,” Neighborhood Services Director Ken Smith recently told the Covington City Commission.
The Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday night to accept the bid of Wausau Tile for $850 per receptacle, the lowest of four bids the City received. Staff will now negotiate a contract with the company and bring that agreement back to the Commission for approval.
Smith said the City hopes to receive and install the new receptacles in early spring. They will replace most of the 267 existing concrete receptacles on street corners downtown and in neighborhood business districts.
Many of the current receptacles lack lids and are deteriorated, Smith said. They’re also too heavy to move without special equipment.
The new receptacles are made of metal and have an aluminum lid, a Polyethylene liner, and a security cable attaching them to the ground. They are similar to the 134 black metal cans the City currently has and also match the Downtown Streetscape and Public Realm Design standards being developed.
“Keeping the streets in our business districts free of trash is important for a number of reasons, not the least of which is economic development decisions are often made on the basis of how a downtown looks and ‘feels,’ ” Smith said.
In response to questions from the Commission, Smith said the City will look to reuse some of the concrete receptacles where appropriate.
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