MACON, Ga. — As Maconites heed the governor’s stay at home order, evidence of their isolation piles up at the curb.
Your yard waste and bulk waste will have to wait as Macon-Bibb County crews are being reassigned to help ADS with garbage collection.
“Our first priority has to be on protecting public health, and that means focusing on garbage instead of leaves and branches,” Solid Waste Director Pat Raines stated in a county news release.
No containerized yard waste or bulk items will be picked up for the foreseeable future.
To demonstrate the increase in collections, the department shifted resources in early March when it picked up 91 tons of garbage between March 2-6. From March 30-April 3, that number nearly doubled to 172 tons.
Monday alone, the solid waste department collected more than 50 tons and could not even finish the routes.
The county pointed out that those totals are above and beyond what ADS collected during those same time periods.
“We tried to maintain services as much as we could early on, but with more people staying home, cooking home and cleaning out their houses, the amount is beginning to overwhelm all of our crews,” Raines said.
ADS will continue to pick up recycling and the rolling carts of household garbage. County workers will pickup additional cans or trash on the ground.
“The department is asking for people’s patience as they work long days to try and keep up with collections, stressing it may be a day later when the additional garbage is picked up,” the release stated.
Residents are urged to leave their garbage out beyond their normal trash pickup day in case crews didn’t make it to their street. They can also call 478-803-0499 to report a missed pickup or for additional information.
“This will be a temporary change as our community continues to shelter in place to protect everyone’s health, and once the need for additional collections is reduced, we will reinstate the other services,” Raines said.
Contact Civic Reporting Senior Fellow Liz Jarvis Fabian at 478-301-2976 or fabian_lj@mercer.edu.
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