By By Kerry Whipple Bean – publisher
New contracts for garbage and trash pickup will mean Brewton residents will pay higher garbage fees as of Oct. 1, the city council decided Tuesday.
Fees will increase to $18 per customer from $13.65.
Allied Waste earned the contract for garbage - or household waste - pickup, while RMCC, a Brewton company, won the bid for trash pickup.
Allied Waste will charge the city $10.44 per customer for garbage pickup. RMCC will charge the city $5.15 per customer for trash pickup, and there will be no size limit on limbs, lawn cuttings and other materials.
The extra money will be used for cash flow for the sanitation department. Mayor Ted Jennings said that money is required by the Environmental Protection Agency to be set aside for the landfill.
While Allied Waste did send a bid for recycling services, the city chose not to accept it. Last year Allied Waste abandoned its recycling pickup program in the city because of a lack of participation.
Councilwoman Ann Marie Sasser noted that RMCC will recycle some of the materials it picks up, chipping branches and limbs rather than taking them to the landfill.