RICE LAKE, Wis. (WJMC) — The new, public garbage cans and recycling bins along Rice Lake’s new downtown Main Street have been overflowing and getting complaints from residents.
But it’s not clear who is responsible for emptying them.
Republic Services emptied the street-side cans for the city in the past, but they cannot empty the new ones with their equipment. Rice Lake City Planner Shawn Murphy said the city is aware of the issue, but no one is currently assigned the responsibility.
Jodi Bunnell, with the Rice Lake Main Street Association, said city officials claimed the association was assigned the duty. But the association hadn’t been consulted nor had agreed to it, and it’s not a task the sparely-staffed organization is equipped to handle.
Murphy said the city is looking into solutions for removing the refuse.