Greenwood residents are frustrated with the speed of trash pickup, says a resident of Riverside Drive.
Jamie Williams, who is part of a Facebook group that includes nearly 1,200 North Greenwood residents, said he is sharing collective “aggravation” with the “lack of trash pickup.”
“Some were posting pictures of not just bags of leaves but debris and even some of furniture,” he said. “Trash that has been there since December and has not been picked up yet.
“What is our problem with pickups here in Greenwood?” he asked.
Williams said this time last year, trash pickup was more consistent. He added that the trash, combined with the litter problem, is a detriment to the city.
Public Works Director Susan Bailey said trash trucks on Tuesday were completing their routes in North Greenwood and should be finished within the next day or so. A couple of trucks had maintenance issues, which caused a delay, but those have been repaired, and the schedule is back on track, she said.
“I know people don’t want to hear the trucks broke down,” she said. “But it’s reality.”
Bailey said Greenwood has five trash routes. Trash trucks, when full, have to deliver their loads to the county landfill.
A recurring issue the city faced was excess amounts of trash — usually including lots of furniture — being piled up on the sides of roads. This could fill a truck to capacity at a single house, which slows the completion of the routes, Bailey said.
To help alleviate this problem, the Greenwood City Council approved an ordinance that charges residents after four scoops from the trash truck. Each additional scoop is $50.
However, Bailey said that so far, excess charges have not had to be used. Even if they did, she said she expects those charges to be very rare and affect a small population.
“When everything is going right, no issues, you can get the whole city in two-and-a-half to three weeks, if everything is going without any breakdowns or things like that,” she said.
Mayor Carolyn McAdams defended the department as well.
“Public Works is doing everything they can possibly do,” she said. “We can’t help it when these trucks break down. It is not so easy to get a part the next day.”
She said the city has explored options in the past to aid trash pickup, including contracting the service out to a different company, and is willing to explore that again if it will give the department the help it needs.
McAdams added that the trash problem is not just an issue with pickup. As soon as routes are completed, trash is piled up on the side of the road again and often is not bagged properly.
Bailey said anyone with questions about the status of trash pickup may call her at her office at 662-455-7660 or her cellphone at 662-299-1763.
McAdams also said anyone with questions may call her office at 662-455-7605.
- Contact Kevin Edwards at 662-581-7233 or kedwards@gwcommonwealth.com.
