BROOKHAVEN — A new garbage service provider will be awarded a contract for Lincoln County pending City action to award a contract to the same company. Lincoln County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to accept Waste Management’s bid over Arrow Disposal Services Inc for garbage pickup. 

ADSI’s contract expires on September 30, 2024 with both Lincoln County and Brookhaven. The potential new contract with Waste Management would start on October 1, 2024. 

Waste Management’s bid for a six-year contract with side load contingent on the City entering jointly would be a cost of $15.47 per unit per month. According to a spreadsheet of the bids, Lincoln County has an estimated 9,900 units for a monthly cost of $153,153.00 under the Waste Management bid. It would be a $0.32 per unit increase. County Administrator Daniel Calcote said he does not expect the slight increase to cause garbage bills to go up and they would likely remain $50 every three months. 

ADSI made the low bid of $13.73 per unit per month for side load garbage pickup in a six year contract. However, the company has had a tough year with missed pickups, garbage truck breakdowns and turnover.

Side loaders

Calcote said with the trucks being sideloaders could cause hiccups with educating the public. District 1 Supervisor Rev. Jerry Wilson was concerned about his constituents and the elderly and wanted to be sure the trash pickup was simple. 

Waste Management representatives said the trucks will still pick up cans early on if they aren’t placed in the right spot. They will provide educational material to help people place garbage cans how they are needed. 

Side loader trucks use one driver and require one employee versus rear load trucks which need three workers. One issue for ADSI in the past is they have had issues with manpower and equipment. 

According to the Waste Management representatives, side load trucks are the future for garbage service. 

How many cans?

One beneficial part of the bid is Waste Management would help determine how many cans are out there and bill the county for those. Tax Collector Blake Pickering said his office’s estimate is there are 8,200 to 8,400 cans, less than the 9,900 cans they are currently billed for. 

“There are cans we are being billed for. Waste Management wants to help us so we can increase our revenue,” Pickering said. “Arrow has not really helped in that matter. We don’t have a way of tracking how many cans we have currently.” 

Lincoln County Board Attorney Greg Malta advised the board they needed to look closely at the terms of the contract to make sure there was a termination clause so they can have more leverage moving forward.