Trash collection delayed one day, City offices closed Jan. 2

News from City Hall
City Communications Office
City of Kansas City, Mo.
www.kcmo.org

In observance of the New Year’s Day holiday, City of Kansas City, Mo., offices and the 311 Call Center will be closed on Monday, Jan. 2 and curbside trash and recycling collection will be delayed one day. Residents who usually have Monday collection will receive the service on Tuesday, Jan. 3. Residents who usually have Friday collection will receive it on Saturday, Jan. 7.

Christmas trees can be disposed of at the City’s Leaf and Brush Drop-off Centers. Please remember to remove all ornaments, lights and tinsel before using this service. The drop-off center located at 1815 N. Chouteau Trafficway is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the drop-off center located at 10301 Raytown Road is open Saturday only from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Both sites are free for residents to use on Saturdays. Residents who dispose their Christmas trees at the Chouteau Drop-off Center on its other open days will be charged $5 per tree.

Please be advised that the Chouteau Drop-off Center will be closed on Dec. 31-Jan. 1. The Raytown Drop-off Center will be closed Dec. 31. 

Both drop-off centers will close for the season on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 and will reopen in mid-March 2012.

The City’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility is closed through Wednesday, Jan. 4 for facility maintenance. 

For more information about solid waste collection services, visit http://www.kcmo.org/trash or call the 3-1-1 Action Center at 311 or 816-513-1313. 

Media inquiries about trash and recycling should be directed to Dennis Gagnon, City Communications, at 816-513-2659.

Oh Rats!

Recently, we've had a few reports of sewer rats in the neighborhood. These guys are disease carrying rodents and are not welcome in Southmoreland. Fortunately, the city has a free rodent abatement program, and they can come out if you find rats on your property. Call the Health Department directly at 816-513-6010 or contact the 311 Action Center, if you are finding evidence of rats in your home.  Here are several suggestions for preventing a rat infestation in your home, from KCMO.org 

Prevention
Rats need three things to survive, and will be a problem until these three things are no longer available: food, water, and shelter. If you have a rat problem, take the following steps to get rid of the rats; if your neighbor has a rat problem, taking the following steps can keep their rat problem from becoming your rat problem:

• Food (anything rats might consider food):
  • Keep food in galvanized metal containers
  • Keep trash and garbage cans in tightly covered metal containers
  • Pick up garbage and trash in yards immediately
  • Remove pet food after the pet has finished eating, and pick up pet droppings
  • Clean spilled seed from under bird feeders
  • Wipe any spilled food off the clothing and faces of babies and bedridden adults
  • NEVER leave a bottle with a baby in the crib overnight
• Water:
  • Repair leaking pipes
  • Don't let rainwater collect in containers, window wells, etc.
  • Repair broken sewer pipes leading from your home
• Shelter:
• Clean up debris like abandoned cars, used appliances, brush piles, etc.
• Cut any high weeds, especially around house foundations
• Store lumber at least 18 inches from the ground
• Clean out basement and attics
• Seal off openings in foundations, retaining walls, and basements
• Replace all broken windows
• Use concrete or metal when rat-proofing; while rats can burrow through concrete, it is much easier for them to gnaw through wood.