Delays in county trash pick up possible

By Glynis Crawford Smith

The Highlander

A contained fire at the Republic Services transportation station at 2411 Farm to Market Road 963 northeast of Burnet High School on Monday, Feb. 12 may delay pick up service around the area.

Deputy chief John Miller of the Burnet Fire Department was on duty when the call came in about 5 p.m.

“They were piling refuse about 25-30 feet high against a wall when they noticed smoke coming from fire in a scoopful,” he said. “They tried their fire extinguisher to no avail and called us.

“It was a deep bedded fire in such a big pile that we kept going back through night to keep water on it. By 10 a.m. this morning it was wrapped up and the bay doors were open.”

Herb Darling, director of Burnet County development and environmental services, told the Burnet County Commissioners Court on Tuesday morning that Republic officials reported the source of the fire had been hot ashes in a truckload of trash, perhaps even a cigarette.

Now, refuse from the fire scene will have to be re-routed to another location, he said.

Delays may vary but some cities are advising customers they will occur.

In Marble Falls, for example, the message is simple: "The City has been notified by Republic Services that a fire has occurred at the transfer station in Burnet. This will cause a 1-2 day delay for both residential and commercial customers trash service pick up. We apologize for the inconvenience."

The Granite Shoals announcement says Republic Services “will continue to pick up in Granite Shoals on the Tuesday route until their trucks are full. At that point, there will be a delay in pick ups which may last a few days.”
“Do not be alarmed if your trash is not picked up today,” the advisory continues. “Please monitor the city's social media pages and website; we will provide updates as we get them.”

A call to city hall or local utilities departments should provide answers in individual towns.