For eight weeks starting Wednesday, June 30, curbside yard waste collection will be handled by Ceres Environmental Operations. The normal collection schedule already used by Solid Waste will be maintained, so people are asked to put their yard waste on the curb by Sunday night of their scheduled week. To find out which week you can expect collection, click here and enter in your address. 

“While we have been patient with the short staffing because of the pandemic, we have come to a point where changes need to be made,” says Mayor Miller. “What was needed was simply more people and more equipment, and we’re taking steps to make that happen. I’m asking for a few more weeks of patience as we bring on more crews and get us all back on schedule.”

“We’re proud to stand with the Solid Waste Department and give them the support they need so they can focus on recycling,” says Chad Dorsey, Ceres Project Superintendent.

This is the first of possibly two companies to collect yard waste temporarily, which will allow Solid Waste Department crews to focus on recycling and help get all collections back on schedule. Those crews – supported by Mayor Lester Miller, Commissioners, and staff – began assisting with recycling collection by emptying cans in areas and on streets that had been missed.

Hiring private companies to collect yard waste was one of several changes Mayor Miller announced on June 24 to improve trash and recycling pick up, an issue that has affected every area of town for several months. 

The other major change was hiring Ryland Environmental to provide trash, recycling, and yard waste collection for about 20% of the county by July 26. This will allow the current company, Waste Management, to reallocate their staff and equipment to the rest of the county, which would improve the services there. Once the addresses have been identified and a new schedule developed, Macon-Bibb will notify the public.

People will not see any increase to their monthly solid waste payments. The county will offset the cost of Ryland Environmental from the amount currently paid to Waste Management, and the cost of the yard waste collection companies will come from the Solid Waste Department’s budget. 

To report a missed trash or recycling pickup, call Waste Management at 405-5000. You can also report them – and miss yard waste pick up – through SeeClickFix at www.maconbibb.us/seeclickfix or the mobile app.