Republic offers only bid for trash pickup, recycling

PEA RIDGE — One bid was received by city officials to provide solid waste pickup and recycling for the entire city. The bid, from Republic Services, was opened Dec. 9 by Mayor Jackie Crabtree.

Present at the bid opening were Jennifer Fagan, municipal manager for Republic, and city Street Department superintendent Nathan See.

The cost to each resident will be $ 14.69 (which includes taxes) and will include a trash bin and recycling bid. Low volume customers will be provided service for $11.22 per month.

In answer to questions from the mayor and See, Fagan said there are options for elderly and handicapped residents, who need to communicate with Republic to seek assistance. She also said persons interested in recycling need to notify the company.

Currently, three trash companies ( Republic, Cards and Waste Management) provide service in the city and the costs are limited by city ordinance. That price has been $10.50 a month since 2008 and was approved for a $4 a month increase in August. The city has been contemplating going to a single service for several years.

According to city records, there are 2,284 residential city water meters in the city and 1,495 customers with trash service — 512 customers for Cards; 760 customers with Republic; and 223 customers with Waste Management, showing 52% of city residences do not contract with a trash service, meaning there are more than 800 residences in the city without trash pick up service.

At the November City Council meeting, council members approved an ordinance mandating trash service for all city residents and authorized the mayor to advertise for bids.

The ordinance provides that the fee will be collected with the water bill in order to regulate all residents having the service.

At the November meeting, it was noted that there are more than 800 residences in the city without trash pick up service.

City officials said there is a problem with people placing trash in city receptacles, in receptacles at businesses and in the recycle dumpsters.

“Pretty much every commercial customer we have, their rates will go down,” Fagan said. “Hopefully they’ll understand this is for the good of the community.”

She said trash pickup will be once a week with recycling pickup probably twice a month, but that will be determined by how many people participate in that.

“The biggest challenge we have is keeping the recycling clean,” she said.

Crabtree concurred saying that the city currently faces that with the recycle trailers.

“People just don’t understand what you’ve got in that affects everything else,” he said.

The bid is on the agenda to be presented to the City Council at the Dec. 29 meeting. If approved, it could go into affect by the first of April.