Columbia aldermen have approved an amended garbage ordinance that will govern trash pickup once the contract with Waste Pro expires Sept. 30.
Mayor Justin McKenzie said he believes the city will be saving money by handling the collection itself.
“I am pretty excited about it. It gives us a certain level of accountability in ensuring the collection is done properly,” he said.
Both Columbia and Marion County began contracting with Red River Waste Solutions in 2013, and in 2016 Red River was replaced by Waste Pro. Marion County took over its own garbage collection from Waste Pro in December after buying three new garbage trucks, and supervisors have reported that change has gone well.
The city’s ordinance, a copy of which is running in the public notice section of today’s newspaper, states that the change is “in the best interest of the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the City, as well as more economically desirable given population changes and other economic factors in the City and Marion County.”
Aldermen approved Ordinance No. 522 on Aug. 6. It repeals the previous ordinances of 505 and 515 and was voted in unanimously on a motion made by Alderman Edward Hough and seconded by Wendell Hammond.
The ordinance keeps the rate for residential household pickup at $15 a month for any size container, and that amount will continue to be charged on water/sewer bills.
Residents can receive additional containers for $5 per month plus a $15 delivery fee.
The rate for small commercial businesses will be $20 a month for a 96-gallon container with an additional $5 a month charge for each additional container. Any new containers will be assessed with a one-time fee of $15 for delivery.
To establish a new service there will be a $75 deposit required.
Replacement for the containers will be $75 with a $15 delivery fee.
The garbage pick-up schedule has not been determined yet. There will be no pick-up on the following holidays New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Garbage is to be placed within two feet of the curb and no earlier than noon the day prior to pick-up, according to the ordinance.
The containers will be either 32 gallons or 96 gallons and will be provided by the city. The city, in addition to the ordinance, is also publishing a notice for bids for a reverse auction for used garbage containers.
Each of the cans will have a city logo and will be assigned with a serial number for each location. The containers will be assigned to the address, not the names of the residents.
“If the homeowner moves, the garbage can has to stay with the location,” McKenzie said.
As in the previous ordinance, the city continues with prohibiting burning of trash and debris within the corporate limits of the city.
