NATCHEZ, Miss. – The city’s trash collector acknowledged there have recently been “bumps in the road” causing Natchez residents’ garbage not being picked up occasionally on their appointed days.
Truck breakdowns and lack of garbage workers have crippled Arrow Disposal Service’s operations, said company Vice President Jimmie Moore, who met Tuesday with Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson and aldermen.
Finding people wanting to be trash collectors is becoming increasingly onerous for the company, he said.
After 30 years working in the garbage business, Moore said, “I’ve never seen so many challenges with employment than what I see now. It’s difficult to get people that will work and stay with you.”
The mayor and aldermen acknowledged the difficulties Arrow is enduring and expressed appreciation to Moore and Arrow’s local manager for being responsive to complaints. However, they requested the Alabama-based company keep city officials and the public better updated about missed pickups and if the uncollected trash will be hauled away on makeup days.
Tuesday’s meeting with Arrow officials came as a $2-per-month increase in the garbage-collection fee Natchez households pay took effect this month. The $22.17 monthly assessment went up to $24.15 effective Aug. 1.
This is mandated by the contract Natchez aldermen have with Arrow to account for economic inflation and the cost of living.
The new $24.15 garbage collection fee attached to Natchez Water Works customers’ monthly bills includes the $1 levy to help pay for the city’s mosquito-control measures.
Arrow provides three-times-a-week curbside trash collection service (one for recyclables) along with two large, wheeled garbage containers per household.
Finding a business that processes recyclable trash is becoming more difficult because it’s so expensive and labor intensive to filter through for little profit, Moore said. “It’s a constant battle” finding a recycler, he said, noting the only place now in the region is Xpress Recycling in Concordia Parish.
Arrow got the city trash-collection contract in 2018 to replace Waste Pro. As the contract with Arrow nears its May expiration, Gibson said he and aldermen will be considering various alternatives for garbage collection in the coming months.
The city’s disposable garbage is now being hauled to Waste Management’s south Adams County landfill after several years of being taken to a landfill in Jefferson County near Fayette. The Board of Aldermen in May opted to go with WM’s Plantation Oaks waste dump at Sibley. Its $37-per-ton disposal charge is $9 less than what the Jefferson County landfill charges.
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