July 23, 2003
Albany - Some people in Albany are fed up with slow trash pick-up, and piles of yard debris have prompted the city to threaten to fire the trash collection company. In the past two months, the city has received 200 complaints about slow trash pick-up West of North Slappey.
The city has a $1,000,000 contract with Onyx to pick-up both household and yard waste in that area. But, the company has fallen months behind in their service. And now, they're in breach of contract.
David Hewett looks at a patch of dead grass. "That's where some cinder blocks and yard debris sat for four weeks waiting to be picked up by Onyx," said Hewett. He's tired of the slack service by Onyx. "I complained and they came and picked up my trash, but there's still piles of trash along my street."
It's easy to find piles of yard debris around Albany. Some have sat for weeks, rotting in front lawns. "Our alleys just look trashy, to be tongue and cheek," Hewett said with a laugh. But, he wasn't joking when he went to city commissioners to complain and was surprised to find out the city is not happy with Onyx either.
"On July 15th, we served Onyx with a breach of contract for performance. They must submit a performance plan for improving their service in the next 15 days," said Public Works Director Phil Roberson. The city is fining Onyx $300 a day until they improve their service to the 12,000 customers they serve west of North Slappey.
"It's in our best interest to work things out with Onyx. They offered the lowest price for the customers, but we can't tolerate lapses in service," said Roberson. He is optimistic that Onyx will clean up their service. But, Hewett says he'll be back in front of city leaders if trash continues to pile up on his street.
An Onyx spokesperson says the company has given the city a plan for improvement, which includes a set pick-up schedule for yard debris. He also says Onyx crews will be working every day this week to catch up.
Posted at 5:50PM by kathryn.murchison@walb.com
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