Gwinnett to standardize trash pickup

Two waste management companies have been selected to provide residential service to about 180,000 households in unincorporated Gwinnett County. The contract awards announced Friday are the last step in a four-year process by the non-profit Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful to standardize waste collection and improve recycling.

“It is all set and ready to go,” said Connie Wiggins, president of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. “We are so excited to have this opportunity to get to the point to launch … something that is going to offer better service, great value for citizens and something that will also benefit our environment.”

Under the new standardized plan, called “A Greener Tomorrow Begins Today,” the county has been divided into eight service zones. Each zone receives service from one hauler for waste and recycling. Friday’s announcement names only two contractors to service all eight zones. Advanced Disposal Services Atlanta has been awarded the contract for four zones in the northern half of the county. Waste Pro Georgia, a subsidiary of Florida-based Waste Pro America, will service the county’s four southern zones.

Initial cost for the service, which begins Jan. 2, will be $20.45 a month for trash and recycling. Yard-waste pickup will cost an additional $10 a month. Billing for the first six months will be handled by the hauling companies. In June, the fee for trash and recycling service will drop to $17.86 a month and will be billed on residential property tax notices. The fees will be locked in until the end of 2010, and the two contractors will have exclusive rights to their routes until the end of 2015.

Future rate increases, Wiggins said, would have to be approved by the GCB board and would have to meet cost criteria established in the contract, such as comparisons with the Consumer Price Index. If a rate increase request exceeds what might be allowed in the criteria, it would go before the county commission for consideration.

The driving force for the uniform waste-collection initiative is to improve efficiency and increase recycling, said Jane Langley, spokeswoman for Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful. This initiative, she said, will reduce the traffic in neighborhoods and illegal dumping and increase the variety of recyclable items by five-fold.

“It sets a standard for the metro area,” Langley said. “I think a lot of people are going to sit up and pay attention to this.”

Langley said the initiative was formulated over four years and drew from comments received at public hearings, community forums, two online polls and telephone surveys. Further, she said, the agency established a team of 50 citizens to give input throughout the process.

Residents will be receiving letters explaining details of the new service from their contractors by the end of the month, Langley said. Residents with questions may also call the service center at 770-709-5600 or visit gwinnettcbservices.org.

— Staff writer Michael Pearson contributed to this article.