BROOKHAVEN — David Holloway, field manager with Waste Management, visited the Lincoln County Board of Supervisors Monday morning. Waste Management started their new contract for garbage pickup with Lincoln County on Oct. 1, 2024. 

A majority of the carts from Waste Management have been distributed. Holloway said 40 new carts were delivered Saturday and 62 new carts were left to be delivered, mostly second carts. Holloway said some customers reported their carts were stolen. 

“We are working through that and it will work itself out in the long run,” Holloway said. 

He told the board the timeframe for pickup will get shorter as drivers learn the routes. The ideal route is nine hours and starting at 7 a.m. 

District 2 Supervisor Keith Lewis said the city had a complaint about a missed pickup and Waste Management was able to show video proof the can was not where it needed to be to be picked up. The Waste Management trucks also have computers which can show if residents have one or two cans and other information. 

Tax Assessor/Collector Blake Pickering said one complaint he heard from two residents was the wheels were not attached to the garbage carts. They were easily attached by the complainant. Pickering wanted to make sure Holloway knew about it. 

District 4 Supervisor Eli Ferguson said if anyone had a similar issue he or his crew would be happy to fix it. 

ADSI leaves mess

One issue the Supervisors discussed with Holloway is not even Waste Management’s fault. District 3 Supervisor John David Hart said they need help getting things cleaned up in the county as hundreds of ADSI trash cans remain out on the street. They were supposed to be picked up by ADSI. 

Lincoln County Board Attorney Greg Malta said the key is to get with ADSI and if they don’t pick up the carts then they need to dispose of them. 

“ADSI is done. They aren’t coming. They are done,” Ferguson said. 

Hart said he doesn’t want Waste Management to continue picking up the trash in ADSI cans because if they do, people will keep putting their trash in the blue cans. Malta suggested they charge pickup back to ADSI. 

Ferguson said ADSI should have already picked up their carts until they were done. 

Pickering said he would keep a list of missed pickups from ADSI separate as it could be useful for an attorney. 

Holloway said they would need to get permission from ADSI to pick-up and remove the trash cans as they were private property of ADSI. Pickering suggested Malta write a letter and give a deadline to ADSI. 

“They knew the contract would be up in September,” Hart said. “This shouldn’t have had to have been addressed.”