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ECUA Taking Over Allied Waste Franchise; Curbside Recycling Coming In January
October 20, 2008
Beginning in January, trash service in North Escambia will be provided by the Emerald Coast Utilities Authority, and voluntary curbside recycling will be available at the same time.
ECUA’s citizen advisory panel, which includes each member of the ECUA board, gave its nod to the plan last week. The full board is expected to approve the plan at a Thursday meeting.
Beginning January 1, Allied Waste’s franchise in North Escambia county will be transferred to ECUA, and ECUA will give Allied commercial routes in the south end of the county, said Natalie Bowers, ECUA spokesperson. ECUA will add the option of curbside recycling to every home it serves in Escambia County, including rural North Escambia.
“There will be no more Allied Waste in North Escambia,” Bowers said. “And, best of all, the entire plan will cost less than customers are paying now.”
Allied currently bills North Escambia customers $58.83 per quarter, which is the equivalent of $19.61 per month. ECUA will charge $17.97 per month. Both companies add a fuel surcharge to their fees.
The ECUA pickup will be one per week, with customers that choose to recycle having two 90 gallon containers. Allied customer will keep their current blue can as their garbage containers, and those recycling will receive a new 90 gallon recycling container. Both the trash container and recyclable container will go out to the curb on the same day. There will be no charge for the recycling service or can.
Customers that do not believe a single 90 gallon waste container pickup per week is large enough can choose to have a second container for $5 per month.
“Recycling will not be mandatory,” Bowers added. She said both plastic and paper materials will go into the same container. Glass will not be accepted for recycling because the vendor purchasing ECUA’s recyclables for $30 per ton will not accept glass.
ECUA’s current 62,000 plus customers in the rest of the county will also go from twice a week pickup to once a week pickup with an option of the no-cost 90 gallon recycling container.
In Century, residential waste service will continue to be provided by Allied Waste under a contract with the town. The recycling service will not be available to Century residents. Century residents that wish to recycle can take their recyclable materials to a collection container located in the parking lot of the Century Courthouse.
Do you live in North Escambia and already recycle? If you do, NorthEscambia.com would like to talk to you for a future story. Email news@northescambia.com and let us know how to contact you.
Comments
18 Responses to “ECUA Taking Over Allied Waste Franchise; Curbside Recycling Coming In January”
Comments on this article have been closed an moved to a new article here:.
http://www.northescambia.com/?p=4572
Please make your comments on this issue at the end of that article after reading more about the plan and comments from ECUA Board Member Larry Walker.
Moving all new comments to the end of that article will keep this discussion open and moving in fashion that is easier to follow.
William
Admin
The ECUA board will consider approving the new program at its monthly meeting, at 3:00 p.m. on October 23 in the ECUA board room on Hamman Street in Ellyson Industrial Park. Ellyson Park is located at the east end of Copter Road, which runs east from E. Nine Mile Road and crosses N. Davis Highway, just south of where N. Davis Hwy merges with E. Nine Mile Rd. Once in Ellyson Park, take the second left.
At this time, I will make just two comments. First, the proposed ECUA service is identical, both north and south. The ECUA has no intention to provide a lower level of service in the North End than in the southern area.
Second, I admit to surprise at the overwhelming negativism of the responses on NorthEscambia.com. Having dealt with complaints about Allied for four years, I thought that getting rid of Allied would be a major accomplishment and would be viewed as the central feature of the announced plan. Wrong!
Finally, rest assured that I am following the comments posted on NE.com, but I also invite direct messaging to me of one’s opinions. My email is larry@larrywalker.com. I need to hear from District 5 residents about this matter, and I will appreciate hearing from you. Please let me know what you think of the proposed program. If you have any questions, ask them, and I will try to answer.
We do have a story with Larry Walker’s comments on this issue coming up on Wednesday or Thursday morning.
William
Admin
I sure wish Larry Walker, our ECUA representative for District 5, would respond to this discussion to alleviate our frustrations and dispell the rumors. The public meeting is this Thursday, October 23rd. More info at: http://ecua.org/news/meetings.asp
Sounds like a raw deal to me. Although I’m already used to one pick-up per week from Allied, and which day they decide to pick-up is always a crap shoot. Oh well thank god it’s not mandatory…..yet. We can always go back to the burn barrel and tick off the neighbors once or twice a week or dig a big hole… decisions decisions
I don’t care what you say about recycling. We still won’t make it for one pick up a week. We have six people in our household and two of them are babies in diapers. You can’t recycle that. I think recycling is great, but we still need two pick ups a week. I agree that we are being cheated. If they are going to cut down on pick up then cut the bill in half. I knew when I heard that ECUA was trying to take over our garbage pick up we were going to get screwed. Also let me say this, a lot of you have had a bad experience with Allied, but I haven’t had any trouble and have had their service for 4 yrs. This is just one more way to push unwanted service on the north end!
I think you can thank Larry Walker for this change.
(Cheryl) I live in the north end, so I know how bad Allied service is. If they have a truck break down in pensacola then you can forget about having your trash picked up in the north end. I can’t wait for ECUA to start service. I am really looking foward to the recycling program. If you need two cans for trash a week then pay the extra $5.00 a month. At least it will get picked up. That is more than you can say for Allied Waste. The price you pay for Allied Waste doesn’t even guantee twice a week pickup when they decide not to come.
If you do the math from what you are already paying, then it is only $3.36 more a month for the same service. Not to mention you get to recycle to.
Free choice—we voice what we want and we get what they dictate to us. Where is the freedom in that? I agree the Northend is the red-headed stepchild. The only time we matter is when they think they might loose and election and need the votes. What a shame, the twice a week pickup will be greatly missed. Whatever————-maybe the plan is for the people to get fed up with the once a week service and start dumping in the woods which would create a need for an environmental officer on the northend who could ride around on our tax dollar in a big four wheel drive truck to write tickets for the dumping generating funds to be allocated for more upgrades on stuff down south. See how nicely that all worked out?
I updated the article to include:
“ECUA’s current 62,000 plus customers in the rest of the county will also go from twice a week pickup to once a week pickup with an option of the no-cost 90 gallon recycling container. ”
I just wanted to clarify for everyone that this IS NOT a different service being provided by ECUA just in North Escambia. All of their other customers will go to once a week as well and can choose the free optional recycling container.
William
Admin
That’s not a deal at all! We fill our Allied Waste can full twice a week. I have diapers in my garbage and that will smell “wonderful” on hot days! It’s bad enough twice a week! I agree with Jay they should cut the bill in half if the pick-up is only once a week. Guess they figure northend citizens cannot do the math! I know it’s been said plenty of times but i’ll say it again the Northend always gets the bad end of the deal!!! Who knows I may just go back to a utility trailer and go to the dump. It’s alot cheaper and with garbage only being picked up 4 times a month, it makes more sense! They can have their deal without my $17.97 a month!!!
To Wake Up People, I currently recycle cans, glass, and plastic weekly. And yes, I also come close to filling my Allied can twice a week. It seems the point you are missing is that people in rural Escambia sought out and paid for a private service and were given terms for that service. Now ECUA takes over that service and gives us half of what we’ve been paying for. I’ve always thought this area should recycle, but look at what ECUA is doing. They’re trying to “encourage” us to recycle by charging us the same amount for half the service. Don’t tell us recycling is optional if you’re going to charge for it anyway. Call it for what it is. Then perhaps it would easier to swallow.
Cheryl I think you need to read the artical again. If you have an allied waste can you will keep it for trash, and if you want to recycle they will provide you another can. That will give you a total of two cans. Unless you want two 90gal cans for trash that will cost you $5.00 more, and would give you a total of three cans.
I am very happy with this plan. If ya’ll would just recycle you would not need two trash pickups a week. Believe me we have been recycling for a long time now, and there are sometimes it will be two weeks before we even take our can out for pickup. I know some families are larger than ours, but you would be supprised how little trash you will have if you recycle.
I agree with everyone else. This is not better service. Sometimes we cant hardly make it with 2 pickups. This is not better. We are going to be covered with trash in the northend. Dont they get 2 pickups in town?
“The ECUA pickup will be one per week, with customers that choose to recycle having TWO 90 gallon containers. Allied customer will keep their current blue can as their garbage containers, and those recycling will receive A new 90 gallon recycling container.”
I’m confused. If you were already a ECUA customer you get TWO recyle containers, but if you were with Allied you get ONE with the option of a second one for 5 bucks a month? I paid for a service to have my trash picked up twice a week. RecycIing could possibly work if they took glass as well as plastic and paper. I agree with Jay. You’re better off calling ECUA. I don’t think the COMMISH can help.
ha-ha folks wake up the county is going to do it to us . why would i want to give having my trash picked up twice a week for 19 dollars . just to have to pay 17 dollars for onece a week. better call kevin white because you will pay more for less service.
What a deal, right? If the garbage service is going to once a week, then the bill should be cut in half to match the 50% reduction in service, and not just going down by a dollar and sixty-four cents per month. It’s time to call your ECUA representive and let him know how you feel about this “new service.”