This web site allows us the opportunity to better make our case for the alternatives we believe will best meet those goals, as well as address the problems of the current proposal that has been presented to the Athens-Clarke County Commission.

If you are visiting this site, we assume that you are somewhat familiar with the challenge we are facing, which is an “exclusive franchising proposal” that the ACC Solid Waste Department presented to the Commission in late August. This proposal will divide the county into three zones that will be serviced exclusively by the selected haulers. An open bid process will determine what haulers will service the zones, with the lowest bid earning the right to service up to two zones. The next two “low-bid” haulers that want the contract will have to match the winning low-bidder’s price. The Athens Clarke County Solid Waste Department will oversee the system and add their “administration” fee on top of the haulers fee.

So to better inform you about our alternatives, ways we can all help reduce landfill impact and improve recycling, and the negatives of the franchising proposal we have compiled the list below:

We Want to Help

First and foremost, we want all the citizens of our community to understand that we, the local sanitation companies, want to help address the problem of landfill impact. We also believe in the importance of recycling. In fact, a few months ago, all of the local sanitation companies met with the Solid Waste Department and we offered several alternatives to this plan. Commissioner Doug Lowry was present at the meeting, but none of the other Commissioners nor the Mayor were present.

The alternatives we presented we believed to be better solutions to reducing the impact on our landfill and improving the percentage of recycling in this county. But, at least as important, our alternatives would still allow area citizens a choice of service providers, as well as the benefits of competitive pricing and good customer service.