Public Works: Solid Waste

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City Residents Must Sign Up for Service with Waste Management

The City of River Falls contracts with Waste Management for residential solid waste and recycling disposal.  In accordance with City Ordinance 8.36.040, all residential units in the City are required to have their solid waste collected by the City through its contractor unless they have applied for an exemption from the City Clerk.  Exemptions are only available to residences that are part of or contiguous to a commercial property under the same ownership, and owners of duplexes, triplexes or rooming houses.  Please call Waste Management at (888) 960-0008 or 425-8397 to provide them with billing information and to obtain waste and recycling containers if necessary.  Standard garbage containers are 35 gallons.  Larger containers are available at an increased cost to the customer.  Billing is on a quarterly basis (2009 rate = $10.19/mo).  Residents may only discontinue garbage service if the water meter to their home has been disconnected.

Curbside Pick Up

Garbage and recycling must be placed at the curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the designated collection day as shown in the figure to the right.   The hauler is not obligated to pick-up garbage and recycling that was not at curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the day of scheduled pick-up.  Call (888) 960-0008 or 425-8397 if your garbage pick-up has been missed.

Customer Service

The Waste Management call center provides residents with direct access to a staff of customer service representatives who have direct access to real time truck locations, current billing information and other information necessary to promptly deal with customer service issues in a timely and efficient manner.  The call center provides you with local 425-8397, toll-free (888) 960-0008, or e-mail WMEservice@wm.com options for customer service.  If you have an unsatisfactory experience with Waste Managements customer service, call City Hall at 425-0900.

Residential Recycling

Place steel and aluminum cans, #1 to #7 plastics, colored and clear bottles and jars, newspaper, magazines, and Cardboard together in the recycling bin.  They do not have to be separated.  Do not use plastic bags.  Large cardboard should be flattened and folded or cut into pieces not larger that 2’ x 2’ in size, place next to or underneath the recycling bin.  All recycling must be placed curbside for collection on the same day as your garbage service.

Preparation Tips:
  • Labels do not need to be removed
  • Rinse to produce less than 5% food debris.
  • Remove caps from bottles, jars and other containers.
Non-Recyclable Items Include:
  • Hazardous waste containers
  • Food contaminated packaging
  • Paper cups
  • Plastic cups
  • Waxed paper or boxes
  • Packaging material
  • Bathroom wastepaper
  • Aerosol cans
  • Paint cans
  • Gasoline containers
  • Light bulbs
  • Windowpanes
  • Mirrors
  • Plate/window glass
  • Pottery
  • Ceramics
  • Dishes
  • Medicine containers

 Spring Clean-Up

Each May, a spring clean-up is conducted for 12 days at the Waste Management transfer station located at 250 Summit Street. Spring clean-up begins the second Monday in May and runs for 2 weeks with hours as follows:
Monday through Friday - 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.        Saturday - 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Acceptable Items include:
  • Carpet/pad
  • large bulky items
  • furniture
  • misc. garbage (less than 1 cubic yard)
  • mattress/box spring
  • propane tanks
  • minor household construction debris (less than 1 cubic yard)
Acceptable Items that will be charged a fee include:
  • Car Tire ($7)
  • Air Conditioner ($25)
  • Computer or Printer ($10)
  • Truck Tire ($10)
  • Microwave ($25)
  • TV Monitor < 20" ($10)
  • Appliances ($30)
  • Dehumidifier ($15)
  • TV Monitor > 20" ($20).
  • Large quantities of construction debris (varies)
Unacceptable Items include:
  • Oil
  • paint
  • car batteries
  • special or hazardous waste
  • chemicals or waste that is generated by a contractor
Waste Management reserves the right to refuse any hazardous materials.  Pierce County Solid Waste (715) 273-3092 does offer a clean sweep program each September for disposal of many hazardous waste products generated by City of River Falls resident.

Eligibility:

Spring clean up is provided only for residents in the City of River Falls who are currently billed for City garbage service by Waste Management. Residents bringing items for disposal will be asked to present a form of identification and a copy of a recent invoice for City garbage service from Waste Management.  People who doe not qualify will not be allowed to dispose of their goods.

Any calls regarding questions on what can be discarded should be directed to Waste Management at 888-960-0008.

 Yard Waste

Waste Management will pick up tagged yard waste at curbside on 16 days throughout the spring, summer, and fall. You must call Waste Management at (888) 960-0008 or 425-8397 to pre-schedule collection of tagged yard waste and leaves at least one day in advance.  No yard waste will be picked up without a call or without a tag.  Yard waste tags may be purchased at EconoFoods, Dick’s Market, Lund’s Hardware, and City Hall.   Dates for curbside yard waste pickup are the following Fridays:
 
April - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Friday
May - 1st, and 3rd Friday
June, July, August - 2nd Friday
September - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Friday
October - 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Friday
November - 1st Friday

REMEMBER! Place yard wastes at curbside by 6:00 a.m. 

PLEASE: Do not rake/blow leaves and lawn clippings onto City streets where they will be washed into storm water drains by the next rainfall and contribute to a degradation in water quality of the Kinnickinnic River and its tributaries.

 Compost Site

compost map

The City provides a compost facility where residents can bring their yard waste. The compost site is located at 901 W. Locust Street (near the River Falls School Bus Garage).  For your convenience, we have greatly expanded the site's hours.  The site will now be open April through November, 7 days a week, during daylight hours, as long as the public practices good housekeeping and does not bring unwanted or banned materials to the site.

Please assist by self-monitoring the site, as hours will be severely curtailed if forced to have an attendant on duty to monitor site usage.  Allowable material that can be disposed at the site is limited to yard waste and brush.  Use of this site is for City residents only. 

 Oil Recycling

Oil Recycling is no longer available at the compost site.    The cost of collecting used motor oil is exteremly labor intensive when compared to the revenue generated.  The following local businesses accept used oil from the general public year round.

Bowens Garage at 405 S. Main Street.  Open Monday-Friday 7:30am-5:30pm, Saturday 8am-12 noon
BP Amoco Quick Lube at 700 N Main Street.  Open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday 8am-4pm
River Falls Tire at 410 N. Main Street.  Open Monday-Firday 7:30am-5:30pm, Saturday 8am-12 noon
River Falls Car Wash at 661 N Main Street.  Open Monday-Friday 8am-6pm, Saturday 8am-2pm

Note:  Pierce County and River Falls Car Wash also accept used antifreeze.

 Frequently Asked Questions:

Who do I call if my garbage has been missed?

Call 888-960-0008 if your garbage pick-up has been missed.

What time do I need to put my garbage out?

Garbage and recycling must be placed at the curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the designated collection day. Garbage pick up times can vary week to week. Just because your garbage is "normally" picked up at 10:00 a.m. does not mean that you can wait till 9:00 a.m. to put your garbage out. The hauler is not obligated to pick-up garbage and recycling that was not at curbside by 6:00 a.m. on the day of scheduled pick-up.

What day is my garbage picked up?

Pick up day is based on your location within the City, please reference this map to determine which day your garbage is picked up.

Why can't I chose my own garbage hauler?

There are a number of reasons why the City of River Falls has chosen to contract for residential garbage collection though one hauler including:

  • It is a sustainable practice reducing fuel consumption, pollution, and unnecessary damage to roads.
  • It makes our neighborhoods cleaner, safer and quiter with less unnecessary truck traffic.
  • Garbage trucks are the single biggest contributor to deterioration of our local neighborhood streets. Having one company's garbage truck travel down each city street rather than have four or more different garbage companies trucks drive down every street saves taxpayer money spent on road repair and maintenance.
  • We know who to contact if there is a litter problem associated with garbage pickup.
  • The monthly rate contracted for by the City is lower than would be obtained by individuals contracting for service. Talk to you friends in the surrounding townships and ask them what their monthly rate is. It only makes sense. It is most efficient for one hauler to pick up from each and every home in neighborhood rather than having to skip one that would be pickup up by another hauler.
Why did the City select Waste Management for this service?

The City received bids from 6 different contractors in 2001 before negotiating a final contract with Waste Management in 2002. Waste Management not only offered a significantly lower price, they also included commingled recycling pick up meaning that residents no longer had to carefully sort things like cans, bottles, and plastics into separate bags.

Have my garbage rates increased?

In 2000, refuse and recycling rates for resident were $10.80/mo. In 2007, Waste Management began billing on a quarterly basis at $9.40/mo. This represents a 13% reduction in solid waste fees compared to 7 years ago. That rate was adjusted in 2008, but still remains 10% lower than the rate in 2000.

Why am I limited to a 35-gallon container for garbage?

The City promotes recycling and the idea of limiting the amount of solid waste that it contributes to area landfills. The City will collect an unlimited amount of residential recycling. A household that is actively recycling in accordance with City ordinances should find a 35-gallon container to be adequate for most weeks in the year. On rare occasions where a resident has more than 35-gallons of solids waste to dispose of, they can purchase a tag for $1.55 and an additional container of up to 35-gallons will be collected. If a resident consistently produces more than 35-gallons of solid waste per week, they can arrange for larger container through Waste Management for an additional fee.

Some weeks I don't even put out garbage, can I get a refund?

No, the garbage hauler still needs to make their rounds past your house. Tracking weekly collections from each and every address would likely add more administrative cost than it would save in pickup costs.

I don't recycle, I should get a break?

Everyone should recycle. It's the law and there is no itemized charge for recycling. If you don't recycle, you should pay more. Waste Management is able to sell recyclable materials whereas they need to pay to dump garbage in a landfill. Paying to dispose of materials that could be recycled and sold makes no sense. Furthermore, if you don't recycle, you will likely find your 35-gallon container inadequate and have to pay additional for garbage tags or a larger container.

How do I suspend my garbage service?

City residents are only allowed to discontinue their garbage service if the water service to their home has been disconnected.  Contact River Falls Municipal Utilities at 425-0906 to disconnect your water service before contacting Waste Management at (888) 960-0008 or 425-8397 to suspend garbage service.