Golden Triangle Waste Services began distributing garbage bins throughout the city on Saturday, and Mayor Keith Gaskin said it should take two weeks or less for every residential customer to receive one.
The 96-gallon, bright green bins have wheels, and each bears a unique identification number and chip registered to a specific address, Gaskin said. In a Facebook post Saturday, he said all of the city’s nearly 10,000 households will receive a bin, and even if your neighbors get theirs first, it doesn’t mean you’ve been skipped.
However, anyone with questions is encouraged to call GTWS or City Hall, Gaskin said.
“They can call and check whenever they like,” he told The Dispatch. “We’re asking them to call Golden Triangle Waste Services first, since they are the ones in charge of distribution, but (citizens) are always welcome to call City Hall, as well.”
The bins are part of the city’s new contract with GTWS, which began Friday. It reduces the residential pickup frequency to once a week, while increasing the monthly customer cost by $3.45 to $20.95.
Gaskin said while customers can’t opt out from receiving a bin, they don’t have to use it. They can instead use bins they purchase on their own or place garbage out in bags on collection day. He hopes the bins will discourage the latter, though, since animals can get into exposed bags and strew trash.
The Dispatch reached out to GTWS Manager Mary Ann Gilliland on Monday to see roughly how many bins had been distributed so far, but she did not respond to a call or text by press time.
GTWS can be reached at (662) 327-6660.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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