UPDATE: About 3,000 Macon-area residents contacted the Advanced Disposal and Macon-Bibb County phone lines last week to complain about missed pickups from the new hauler.
"I know it was the first week and it's a transition, but bottom line we pay money for this," said resident Chris Raiden to The Telegraph.
The County is reportedly doing all it can to notify customers of changes associated with the new Advanced contract, and crews have been catching up on garbage collection, however some residents are still having collection issues or having a hard time receiving new recycling containers (in part of the new services).
"We know there was some frustration last week, and we understand that," said Chris Floore, Macon-Bibb spokesman. He hopes that, while crews transition into the new services, flyers and stickers will help better-educated residents about the changes.
Dive Brief:
- Advanced Disposal has begun providing weekly residential garbage and yard waste collection services to 25,000 homes in the formerly incorporated Macon, GA communities — services previously provided by the local government.
- The company will pick up trash with 95-gallon carts and automated collection vehicles, and yard waste will be handled with traditional rear-load collection trucks. 13 of the 18 trucks along the designated Macon-Bibb County routes run on compressed natural gas (CNG), and the company invested $1.6 million in a CNG fueling station at its hauling facility in that area.
- This is the second contract American Disposal has picked up in less than two years as a result of a municipality deciding to privatize their trash services, with Detroit signing on in June 2014 to accommodate 125,000 homes.
Dive Insight:
More U.S. municipalities are privatizing their solid waste management needs as they realize that doing so can reduce cost, possibly improve quality and efficiency of service, and provide other amenities.
"Over the last several years, we have seen increasing inquiries from local governments as they contemplate the many benefits of privatization. We provide our municipal clients with solutions to their needs that includes cost containment, service guarantees, risk protection, environmental stewardship and economic sustainability," said Charlie Gray, Advanced Disposal's region vice president, adding that the partnership strengthens the company’s existing presence in Middle Georgia.
Advanced Disposal now has a presence in 19 states and the Bahamas, and as it expands across the map, the company also grows its platforms, as is seen in its investments in CNG. Approximately 60% of the Macon fleet is fueled by CNG, and that fleet will expand once American Disposal’s diesel trucks reach the end of their lives.
"We continue to invest in CNG to not only keep our fleet running cleaner and to create a more sustainable earth, but this cleaner fuel source also reduces operations costs, thereby enhancing stakeholder returns. We are excited to utilize these innovative vehicles locally, building this new public-private partnership and providing unparalleled solid waste management services to Macon-Bibb County," said Advanced Disposal CEO Richard Burke.
City staff will still collect recycling in the Macon area on alternate weeks, and will also collect on-call bulk waste and excess yard waste
