SIOUX FALLS — The popular city “dump pass” is getting an upgrade.
For the past several years, the city of Sioux Falls has been sending a postcard to every resident that pays for utilities. The card allowed the holder to make one free dump run to dispose of the unwanted bric-a-brac, yard waste and other junk beginning each April.
This year the city is getting rid of the postcard.
All you’ll need is a driver’s license or state identification card to get a free pass to dispose of whatever is piled up in your garage or basement.
The intent is to make it easier for more people to take advantage of the free pass, said Donny Kuper, superintendent of the city landfill.
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“If we can get more participation, it means a cleaner city,” Kuper told the city council on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
There are several advantages to moving away from the post card, he said. Primarily it expands the number of residents who can use it. The postcards currently are mailed to residents who pay for utilities, which doesn’t include many apartment dwellers.
It also saves money on printing costs and the administrative time of tracking and sorting cards, Kuper said.
“Of course it reduces paper waste by not having to print those every year,” he said.
The other improvement is that it will be year round. Currently the postcard is only valid from April to September.
The city mailed about 55,000 postcards to residents with about 25% getting used each year.
The card allowed the holder to drop off one load with a limit of 10,000 pounds.
Now landfill employees will scan the person’s driver's license, which will track the use by address. The one load per household limit will remain.
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Sioux Fallsians will get one more postcard, however, informing them of the change and explaining how it works.
That information will also be available on the city’s website.
There are still a few tweaks necessary before everything is up and running, Kuper said, but similar programs have worked well in other cities.
“Our ultimate goal is to keep the community clean,” he said.
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