A Greenwood resident has proposed paying day laborers to pick up trash throughout the city.
Lavoris Weathers said the plan would be carried out through Operation Peace Treaty, a nonprofit organization he founded.
Eight to 10 people would be paid to pick up trash three or four times a week. This would cost about $10,960 a month, according to Weathers’ plan, which includes the cost of materials, travel and food for the workers.
Weathers plans to take his proposal to the Greenwood City Council at its meeting Tuesday in an effort to get city funding. He has also submitted copies of his proposal to the five members of the Leflore County Board of Supervisors in hopes that the county will pitch in.
Weathers’ plan includes options for the city to rent and place large dumpsters throughout Greenwood to allow residents to haul trash themselves as well as hire drivers with trucks and trailers to haul trash away.
Weathers said he developed his plan as a workaround to “red tape” for the city officially hiring personnel to remove trash and other roadside debris, such as when landlords place discarded items from former tenants along a road.
Susan Bailey, the director of the city’s Public Works Department, told the City Council last week that a labor shortage within her department has slowed down the removal of roadside debris.
Her department has four trucks but only three drivers, meaning one truck is left behind on workdays. The city has been advertising for another public works employee but has had trouble finding anyone qualified who has a commercial driver’s license.
Founded last summer, Operation Peace Treaty is most known in town for giving away free plates of food last year in exchange for residents completing a survey assessing their thoughts on violence.
- Contact Gerard Edic at 662-581-7239 or gedic@gwcommonwealth.com.
