Efforts to pick up approximately 30,000 Waste Management garbage and recycling containers in Coeur d'Alene have begun, and could take a month to complete.

On July 1, the city of Coeur d'Alene transitioned its garbage collection contract from Waste Management to Coeur d'Alene Garbage. Steve Roberge, Idaho district manager for Waste Management, told The Press a five-person team has begun removing old containers from homes throughout the area.

"We're getting it done, but it takes some time," Roberge said. "We are just now starting to pick up some speed."

Roberge added it will likely take the entirety of July, and potentially a portion of August, for the team to remove the containers. He said the team is using garbage routes to collect the bins, and asked residents to place their Waste Management containers in an accessible location on days they normally have trash picked up.

There are about 14,000 customers in the Coeur d'Alene area, Roberge said, many of which have containers for both garbage and recycling.

If the can does not get picked up on garbage collection day, Roberge asked residents to place the container out front again on the following collection day. He noted it could take up to five trips through the city to finish the job.

"Waste Management's team will eventually get to your segment of the community and will take them away," a news release from the city of Coeur d'Alene states. "We ask that you take the containers off the street after your service pickup each week to help keep streets free of clutter and to assist street sweepers navigating roads."

In addition, Roberge asked residents to not place any garbage in the old bins, as that effectively doubles the time it takes crews to pick up and process them. Waste Management can be contacted at (208) 765-4968.

Any residential customers who have not yet received a new garbage container from Coeur d'Alene Garbage should call the city at (208) 769-2227. Commercial customers should call Coeur d'Alene Garbage at (208)457-1820.