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Many Lowndes County residents are fed up with inconsistent garbage pickup, and the Lowndes County Commission is taking steps to get the company contracted for garbage pickup to clean up its act.
Lowndesboro local Londa Richard said that it’s been weeks since the garbage has been picked up from her River Road residence, but that’s only half of the issue.
The other half stems from the inconsistency of Purdie and Sons Refuse Service, the company contracted to take care of the majority of Lowndes County’s garbage pickup.
“Garbage pickup normally takes place on Monday in my area, but I never really know when to expect it,” Richard said.
“Garbage pickup usually starts off a day or two late, and then gets progressively worse each week. You never really know when they’ll pick it up. I’ve called Purdie and Sons in the past to complain about the lack of service and finally just got fed up with it. You shouldn’t have to call and beg for services you’re paying for.”
Richard added that the county’s trash pickup problem isn’t new, stating that it’s been an ongoing issue for her for years.
Richard added that she did receive a $4.50 credit last month for lack of services provided, but it is the only credit she has seen.
Crystal Hollingshead, a resident of Letohatchee, said a garbage truck picked up her trash Monday morning, but it was the first pickup in several weeks.
“It has been four weeks since they’ve picked up our garbage,” Hollingshead said.
She also echoed a similar complaint—the variation in pickup dates have become more than a minor inconvenience.
“They finally picked it up mid-morning on Monday, but garbage has been piling up for weeks,” Hollingshead added.
“The normal pickup in our area is on Wednesday, but it’s never on schedule. It’s an inconvenience because you never know exactly when to expect garbage pickup.”
Lowndes County has been in contract with Purdie and Sons Services for roughly four years, according to county commissioner Robert Harris.
Harris said the county has experienced problems throughout the contract period, but they have become more frequent in recent weeks.
A representative that answered the telephone at Purdie & Sons Services, who refused to give her name, said some of their trucks were broken down for about a week or so but that all issues they are aware of have been resolved.
“We go above and beyond to meet the needs of customers,” she said. “The trucks were down but we have collected all accumulated trash. Credits have been issued to the accounts that we know had a problem and they were not charged for services during the missed time.”
The Purdie & Sons representative added that if anyone has any issues they could call the office Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The telephone number to the Hayneville office is 548-5780.
“We have received calls regarding garbage not being picked up in a timely manner,” Harris said.
“Purdie and Sons Services has had some breakdowns with their trucks recently that they’ve said have caused a backup in garbage pickup.
With that said, that’s not the citizens’ fault and the county has taken steps to address the concerns.”
Harris said one of those steps involves a review of the contract with Purdie and Sons and the issuing of a 30-date notice.
“We’ve reviewed the contract, and at the advice of our attorney, we have taken steps to process and issue Purdie and Sons a 30-day window to correct any issues,” Harris said.
“If the issues aren’t resolved within the time frame, the contract that is in place for garbage services is subject to termination. When it comes to a contract, we as a county must follow protocol and the advice of our attorney while continuing to provide the best service to the citizens of our county.”
Harris said that the 30-day notice is being processed and will be sent to Purdie and Sons by certified mail by the end of next week.