These are among the questions on an online survey the City of Covington is asking residents to fill out.

 

The City is in the final year of a five-year contract with Rumpke Waste & Recycling and will soon advertise for bids for a new contract that will begin July 1, 2020, said Ken Smith, director of the City's Neighborhood Services Department.

 

"With this survey, we want to not only get feedback on how Rumpke has performed but also examine ways we can improve how we collect garbage and recyclable material," Smith said. "This is a critically important service not just for our families and businesses but also our neighborhoods and commercial districts."

 

The survey can be found HERE and will be available until Nov. 1.

 

It asks a range of questions related to Rumpke's performance, the billing process, the City's current bulk item and recycling programs, the City's communications related to this service, and support for potential new programs related to yard waste, food waste, electronic waste, and waste tire recycling.

 

Covington's Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator, Sheila Fields, said she and staff in her office are particularly interested in the last item.

 

Some 57 percent of households and businesses in Covington recycle, up from 47 percent three years ago. Similarly, 2,297 tons of recycled material was diverted from landfills in the most recent fiscal year, up from 1,985 tons three years ago.

 

"We could do so much more with programs and services that cater to specific waste streams - such as yard waste, hazardous and electronic waste, and food waste - and we certainly receive a lot of questions from residents about those opportunities," Fields said. "But everything costs money, and the key question is the extent to which residents want and would support additional services."

 

Results from the survey will be presented to the Covington City Commission later in November.