A new trash collection method in Fort Dodge has not been without detractors.

In January, the Public Works Department switched to a new collection method that relies on trucks with mechanical arms to pick up both garbage and recycling materials.

Each of the city’s roughly 8,400 sanitation customers received two 95-gallon containers in January. Each container is 45 inches high, 27 inches wide and 33 inches deep.

For some residents – particularly those who may be elderly and disabled – the size of the containers proved unwieldy.

As complaints reached the Fort Dodge Municipal Building, members of the City Council discussed how to solve the problem.

On Monday evening, the council took action, voting unanimously to buy 150 45-gallon containers from Otto Environmental Systems, of Charlotte, N.C., for $7,485. They will be delivered in about 30 days. The council will determine how to distribute the containers next month.

In an age when government is all-too-commonly perceived as an unfeeling bureaucracy, it is always refreshing to see elected officials proactively responding to the needs of their constituents.

The Messenger applauds the council’s effort to make life a little bit easier for some of the city’s more vulnerable residents.