Richland County residents never have to miss another collection day now that a new mobile phone app will send notifications that it’s time to get the roll carts to the curb.
This new tool – which is available as both a mobile phone app and as a feature on the Richland County Solid Waste & Recycling webpage – allows residents to type in their address and instantly see their collection day calendar, including any disruptions in service due to holiday closings. Residents can also read important information about trash and recycling pickup and choose to receive a friendly reminder on or before collection day via email, phone call or app notification.
But that’s not all.
The “Waste Wizard,” which is part of both the mobile app and website feature, identifies whether a specific item belongs in the trash or recycle cart and makes note of any special instructions. By entering “hard cover book” into the Waste Wizard, the results state books can be placed in the recycle cart but the cover should be removed first. For “diapers,” the results instruct residents to place them in the garbage cart, sealed in a plastic bag.
“Integrating this new tool is a great way for us to better serve residents and make curbside trash and recycling as easy as possible,” said Rudy Curtis, interim director of Solid Waste & Recycling.
These new tools aim to alleviate confusion about trash, recycling and yard waste pickup and also allow residents to report any problems. The Waste Wizard will hopefully encourage residents to recycle items that they didn’t know were recyclable.
Lexington County is expected to soon join Richland County and the City of Columbia in utilizing the app and website function to help simplify trash and recycling services.
“Mornings are the busiest time of day for a lot of people, so having a helpful reminder that today is the day to roll your cart curbside will hopefully be one less thing to have to remember as you’re headed out the door,” Curtis said.
The Richland County Solid Waste & Recycling mobile phone app is available for free download through Google Play and the App Store, with links to both located on Richland County Solid Waste & Recycling’s website, www.rcgov.us/richlandrecycles. Residents can also use these new tools through Richland County's Facebook page (search for Richland County, SC) and Twitter account (@RichlandSC).