Garbage Pickup Routes In County Will See Minor Changes
By David Howell
Editor
WATER VALLEY – Some customers in Yalobusha County will see their garbage pickup day change, beginning next Monday, May 17, after the company that provides curbside garbage pickup in the county will put an additional garbage truck to work.
Resourceful Environ-mental Services (R.E.S.) will shift to a four-day garbage route, from Monday to Thursday, as a second truck starts service next week. The company currently picks up trash in Yalobusha using a five-day route.
“This will not affect all of the customers in the county, but we had to make some adjustments,” R.E.S. Route Supervisor Richard Prewitt told the Herald. Customers in southwest and northwest portions of the county as well as in the Town of Oakland encompass the bulk of the areas affected by the change.
“We will also be placing flyers on cans alerting customers of the change,” Prewitt said. A map is also included on Page B4 showing route schedules.
The change also marks a significant investment for the company, according to Prewitt. R.E.S. purchased two new 2010 International trucks, with a price of almost $150,000 each, to service the county’s customers. The company has provided curbside trash pickup in the county since 2001 and has used two trucks in years past.
“We want to continue to provide quality service in Yalobusha County,” Prewitt explained.
Last September problems with the garbage service surfaced during several supervisor meetings, as frustration was voiced due to pickup delays in the county.
At that time, company officials explained that employee turnover and truck problems were partially to blame, and pledged better service.
Prewitt told the Herald that using two trucks would enhance service in the county. A four-day pickup schedule will allow additional time to provide maintenance on the vehicles. The shift will also keep each two-man crew working a normal work week, compared to using one truck which often results in a 70-plus hour work week for the two-men working on the truck.
The investment by R.E.S. comes several months after the county renewed a three-year contract with R.E.S., at $11 per can per month.The county bills customers $12 monthly, with the difference providing operating expenses for an office as well as postage costs for billing.
Prewitt reported that each truck will be able to service almost 400 customers per day, making it feasible to service the estimated 3,000 households in the county and 200 households in the Town of Oakland.
R.E.S. hauls the trash, averaging almost 240 tons from Yalobushians per month, to Prarie Bluff Landfill in Houston each day.
Prewitt prepped supervisors of the change at a May 3 meeting.
At that meeting he noted that the two new trucks would be lighter, weighing almost 40,000 pounds when loaded, compared to 60,000 pounds with the larger truck. The lighter trucks will put less stress on the county roads.
R.E.S. is based in Ripley and has several offices across the state including one in Houlka that services the county.
For additional information about the garbage pickup, contact the county’s garbage department at 473-5024. Also, see the next item on the web page for a .PDF file of the map showing the routes.
