Time will tell if trash issue is fixed

Published 9:48 pm Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Garbage pick-up problems are not new to Lincoln County or Waste Pro.

Counties and cities across the state sometimes have problems with their garbage collection contractors. But just because it’s common shouldn’t make it acceptable.

Sure, there are bigger problems to solve than garbage pickup, but sometimes it’s the little things that really get people upset. Put late garbage collection in that category.

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Lincoln County supervisors are tired of hearing from angry residents who are upset with Waste Pro’s trash pickup service. The company didn’t help itself much when its representative provided incorrect information to supervisors at a previous board meeting.

But the company’s top management came to address the issues again Monday after more complaints were filed. The Waste Pro managers provided a new phone number for residents to call if they have problems with trash pickup. That number is 601-361-9967.

The company says it will pick up any missed trash within 24 hours of receiving a complaint, but also insisted it will be picked up that same day.

That did little to address the concerns of some supervisors, who were upset that some houses are still regularly missed.

Waste Pro recommended that supervisors take advantage of its GPS service to track trucks as they complete routes. That seems a bit impractical and time-consuming.

Waste Pro contracts with the county and, like any contractor, is judged based on price and performance. It looks like there’s work to do when it comes to performance.

Waste Pro site manager John Gibson, a Lincoln County resident, assured supervisors that the issues would be handled. If they are not, we will likely see more of Waste Pro’s management at future meetings of the Board of Supervisors. As long as residents are complaining to their supervisors, then supervisors will complain to Waste Pro.