Most Peabody families moved their trash containers to curb for the Friday pickup as usual on June 3.

When the containers still were full later in the day, most remembered the rule about getting service a day late when a holiday comes during the week — as it did that week with Memorial Day on Monday.

Deputy City Clerk Stephanie Ax spoke this past week with Herschel West of the Wichita-based Waste Connections, which collects Peabody’s waste, and West said that from now on the schedule change will affect Peabody residents following only three holidays.

“Waste Connections won’t stick with the same schedule that Stutzman Refuse Service maintained,” Ax said.

Waste Connections will operate on an extended schedule only for Thanksgiving Day week and when Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on a weekday. Any other holiday will not interfere with scheduled Friday pickups.

The agreement with Waste Connections gives the company 24 hours to pick up the trash.

“That means that if something happens and they are short of trucks, they don’t necessarily have to operate an early Friday pick-up schedule in Peabody,” Ax said. “They can come late in the afternoon or evening—which is what they did the Friday after Memorial Day.”

Ax cautioned, however, that residents should not assume that just because the week has had a holiday such as Memorial Day or July Fourth, the trash will be picked up later in the day.

“The best rule of thumb is to assume they will be around at 7:30 a.m. as usual and get your containers to the curb,” she said. “That way you won’t miss it.”

For more information or answers to questions about trash service, contact the city building staff at (620) 983-2174.