Change in pickup days for trash Change in pickup days for trash (January 25, 2006)

So long to Atherton's Friday trash day. Allied Waste Services (formerly BFI) is changing its garbage collection routes beginning the week of Monday, February 6, affecting residents of Menlo Park and Atherton.

In Atherton, trash pickups will take place Monday through Thursday, depending on where customers live, Allied spokeswoman Stacey Wagner told the Atherton City Council at its January 18 meeting.

She said the new schedule will make the routes more equitable for drivers and enable Allied to be more responsive to customer requests for special pick-ups or missed pick-ups.

Ms. Wagner promised a broad outreach campaign to inform residents of their new schedule, and said that customers can put out twice as much trash as usual on their first new collection day.

Residents will be able to type in their addresses on an Allied Web site, alliedwastesanmateocounty.com, and find out their new trash day, she said.

A few residents took issue with Ms. Wagner's contention that the changes would improve customer service.

"I don't need direct mail or Web sites," said Jim Dobbie. "I just want my garbage picked up on Friday as always. All of these changes, as far as I'm concerned, have nothing to do with customer service."

Apartment and condo dwellers who are not directly billed by Allied for garbage services -- typically those in buildings of five or more units -- will not see a change in their collection day, Ms. Wagner said.

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