NATCHEZ, Miss. – City officials continue working out final details of a new
contract with Natchez’ garbage collector to include curbside pickups for bulky
yard debris, appliances and other large items currently not hauled away.
The Board of Aldermen on Tuesday affirmed its previous selection of Arrow Disposal Service as the best and cheapest bid of four companies vying to serve Natchez. Mayor Dan Gibson said Arrow has offered “a very good proposal” for aldermen to accept, but more time is needed to “continue to study the figures” before the deal is finalized.
City officials are aiming to approve a final contract with the Alabama-based Arrow – which has been the city’s trash collector since 2018 – before the old contract expires in May.
Natchez annually spends about $1.68 million for garbage collection and disposal. This is for the costs of Arrow providing three-times-a-week curbside pickups (including one for recyclables) and the WM-owned Plantation Oaks landfill burying disposable trash at its south Adams County waste dump.
The new garbage collection-and-disposal terms haven’t been finally decided yet, but Arrow’s latest offer has Natchez spending about $1.58 million a year for the same service as before – including two trash carts given to about 5,600 Natchez households to separate their disposable trash from recyclables.
WM is proposing to charge the city about $230,000 a year to dispose Natchez’ trash at its waste dump near U.S. 61 south at Sibley. This reflects no increase from the previous rate. The estimated cost is based on taking about 6,200 tons annually for five years.
The costs of the new haul-off service for bulky uncontained appliances and yard rubbish haven’t been hammered out yet with Arrow, said City Clerk Megan McKenzie, but the pickups would likely be twice a month.
Natchez residents currently pay a garbage fee of $24.15 a month per household. The monthly charge – which also includes $1 for the city’s mosquito-control measures – is attached to the water bills Natchez households get.
No discussions have been made at recent city board meetings of whether the higher costs of Arrow’s garbage contract could result in the household assessment going up. The Board of Aldermen last August raised the garbage fee from $22.17 a month to $24.15, which was levied because of the higher costs Arrow has endured due to economic inflation.
For the new contract, Arrow has proposed a 4 percent cap on future price hikes charged to the city due to costs tied to the consumer price index.
Arrow’s garbage-collection bid is the lowest of the other submissions from Waste Pro, Hometown Waste and WM (formerly Waste Management).
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