Waste Management to provide trash service on interim basis starting July 1
AOMC member Jaden Martin holds Ohio Lt. Governor Jim Tressel's arm in the air for his victory in the battle bots game at the AOMC Training Center on Thursday. (Photo by Amber Phipps)
PARKERSBURG – Waste Management will begin collecting trash from Parkersburg residents on July 1 – but not under a contract being challenged with a citizen referendum. Mayor Tom Joyce announced in a press release Friday afternoon that under a previously declared emergency, city officials have negotiated a temporary contract with the company “to provide trash collection and disposal services for all residential customers on an interim, month-to-month basis until all legal issues are resolved.” The release says the city will continue monthly billing at the same rates for customers. Customers will receive a 96-gallon cart prior to July 1 at no charge, the release said. Residents can have two bulky goods collected monthly and will be notified of those collection dates before the transition on July 1. “The other option would have been to repeal and amend sections of Article 955 (of the city code); requiring all residents to obtain their own private solid waste collection provider,” Joyce said in the release. “This was considered, but ultimately I believe this temporary measure will be the most beneficial to the community as a whole; one provider and centralized billing are important for consistency and accountability. (M)aking 12,000 residents responsible for obtaining their own service would have created confusion, and most residents would have been required to pay for (three) months of service in advance.”