In the rush to stand up trash collection in St. Paul by April 1, the base of operations for the city's new trash hauler opened without flush toilets, and instead workers are using portable toilets.

The dispatch lot for hauler FCC Environmental on 560 Randolph Ave., between W. 7th Street and Shepard Road, has been a lightning rod for neighbors.

The parcel's hurried path through city zoning approval has been bumpy, with the City Council voting to block the hauler's use of the site. FCC Environmental began trash collection from the site on April 1 under an emergency declaration.

So far, actual collection of household garbage has gone well, with Carter saying in this week's State of the City speech that fewer than 1% of households had complained of missed pickups in the first three weeks of service.

A ticking clock

The emergency declaration that lets FCC Environmental keep using the site ends in mid-June.

Several permits still need to work their way through city processes to let the hauler keep parking its trucks at the lot on Randolph and move forward with building the compressed natural gas fueling station for the trucks.

During a city zoning committee meeting Thursday, FCC presented plans to deal with issues like traffic, lighting pedestrian access and stormwater runoff near the lot, where it also plans to eventually build a compressed natural gas fueling station for its fleet of 36 trucks.

Neighbors raised worries about how the site will prevent their hopes for mixed-use residential development in the area, and some have questioned how fast the process is working.

FCC bought the site for truck storage in September 2024, about six months after they won the contract for St. Paul's garbage business.

Toilet hookups?

Just five weeks before the scheduled start of trash pickup, key details remained uncertain — including how the building's toilets connect to the sewer system, according to an engineer's notes to city officials dated Feb. 25.

FCC's engineers found a disused septic system on the property, according to the mayor's office, but decided it was inadequate for their drivers and dispatchers' use.

A spokesperson for Mayor Melvin Carter's office said FCC employees are using portable toilets at the dispatch lot for now.

Residents, already deeply upset that the former tow lot in an industrial area will not be redeveloped into something more inviting, are also worried about the rush to set up the site for FCC, some said in public testimony during Thursday's zoning committee meeting.