Trash pickup operations in Jackson will begin again on Wednesday following the city council’s approval of a one-year emergency contract with Richard’s Disposal.
On Tuesday afternoon, members of the council and Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba convened for a special meeting to vote on one item on the agenda, designating Richard’s Disposal to oversee the city’s solid waste collection and hauling for one year.
The council issued a vote of 4-2, with Angelique Lee, Brian Grizzell, Virgi Lindsay, and Aaron Banks voting in favor of the contract. Council President Ashby Foote and Vernon Hartley voted against the item. Councilman Kenneth Stokes was not in attendance at the meeting.
According to attorneys for the city council and the mayor, the agreement was reached following Monday’s hearing at the Hinds County Chancery Court.
During the meeting, Special Judge H. David Clark called for both sides to come to an agreement on a waste disposal provider despite the months-long dispute.
“This is a great example of failure of leadership all the way around. When leaders won’t talk to each other, when leaders won’t cooperate, when there’s no give or take, when there’s no compromise,” Clark said. “If you don’t want compromise, what you have is a dictatorship. We decided — we being the United States of America — decided many years ago we did not want a dictator, yet that’s what we have. A government that is trying to determine who is the dictator and who is going to pay for that.”
Now, after a 18-day hiatus, trash collection services will begin once again across the capital city starting at 7:00 a.m. on Wednesday. Residents are being asked to limit bags to 60 pounds or less and to separate household garbage from leaves, branches, and bulk items.
Richard’s Disposal has released that at this time, workers will collect six bags or two bins during initial trash pickup.
