The Macon-Bibb Solid Waste Department could soon be changing the way they get residents get trash off the curb.
In January 2016, the Solid Waste Department will be collecting recycling, large yard waste and bulky trash like furniture.
Advance Disposal System will be responsible for trash and small yard waste. This would cost $9 for Solid Waste and $11 for Advance Disposal System, totaling $20 per month per residential home.
Solid Waste says they don’t want to cut jobs, but make efficient changes to perform more services and reduce landfill use by pushing more people to recycle.
“Eventually, with our solid waste management plan, building a recycling center so that we can process the material that we collect, but also we’re diverting the material from the landfill, so we look at is as a quality of life issue that people want to have here in Bibb County that we’re not able to provide until this time,” said Solid Waste Director Kevin Barkley.
Barkley said these changes will not lead to job loss because there is still a lot of work to be done.
“Garbage needs to be collected. Yard waste needs to be collected. Recycling needs to be collected, along with bulk items. All those items need to be collected, so we’re just reallocating who collects those materials and we’re going to keep the same work force going forward,” Barkley said.
The new plan would include building a new recycling collection center to be completed by 2019.
City residents’ current fee of $15 is just half of what Atlanta residents pay.
The Macon-Bibb County Commission will vote on this next Tuesday night.