Dive Brief:
- Republic Services has been awarded an emergency trash contract from the city of Gary, IN. The hauler will pick up waste from October 31 to December 31.
- The Gary Sanitary board approved the emergency measure in an unanimous vote.
- Republic was the only company who responded to a request placed by Gary officials as they sought to find a temporary hauler to fill the position after Gary terminated its contract with Waste Management, citing a strained relationship between the hauler and the city.
Dive Insight:
Allegations against Waste Management by the city of Gary included missed collections and poor service, exacerbated by a failure to respond to complaints. Waste Management maintains that it was in the midst of reaching out to the mayor in an attempt to find a resolution to the problems when the decision was made to end the contract.
Republic Services was the hauler in Gary before Waste Management won the contract and took over collections in the city.
The district board anticipates approving a contract for a permanent hauler some time in December; the new service provider will begin collections on January 1, 2015.
