Trash service going up for bid in March

Ken Grissom

St. Martinville — The City Council will open bids for a new garbage pickup service in March, but don’t expect huge changes in the way trash disappears from curbside.

“You can have a Cadillac but you have to pay for it,” Mayor Thomas Nelson told the council last week.

Nelson said a review of the current contract by the city’s engineers had produced little change.

The city’s contract with Allied Waste Services, formerly BFI, expires July 1.

The council on Jan. 22 authorized the mayor to seek bids for garbage collection services.

“We have plenty of time (to consider alternatives),” Nelson said.

The mayor and council continue to stress the importance of adhering to the provisions of the contract in how trash is placed at the curb. At the same time, they express doubt that many people will change their ways.

Meanwhile, Nelson said, the city is saving money by using its own crews to pick up yard wastes and other trash that is frequently out of compliance. It costs the city $100 an hour and a $90 disposal fee — about $1,000 a day — for Allied to make special trips, he said.

According to the contract with Allied:

•Branches can be no longer than six feet and no thicker than six inches in diameter.

•Smaller branches should be bundled but not heavier than 50 pounds.

•Tree trucks should not exceed four feet in length and 50 pounds in weight.

•“White goods” — refrigerators, freezers, washers and dryers — should be empty.

•Carts should be at the curb by 4 a.m.

•The top of the cart should be closed.

•Carts should not be placed near fixed objects, and there should be at least two feet between carts.