Trenton Discusses Privatizing Garbage Pick-up
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Trenton’s current garbage service has city leaders throwing money in the garbage. “The cost of picking up our own sanitation has become just unbearable over the last couple of years and we are actually loosing money doing it,” said Trenton Mayor Tony Burriss. According to Burriss, the city is loosing between $2,000 and $3,000 a month by using its own sanitation crew. “We spend about $165,000 a year just to get our garbage taken out of the city,” Burriss said. Those statistics have city leaders mulling over whether to hire a private company to do the job. “We will raise our sanitation fees if we decide not to privatize, if we decide to keep doing it ourselves,” said Burriss. If the city does decide to privatize it’s garbage company, it means some if not all of the sanitation workers would be let go. “You are doing away with those salaries, their insurance. The big thing is all of our equipment is to a point where it needs to be replaced,” Burriss said. However, some residents said the current service is too good to let go. “It is very convenient, the way it is now,” said Trenton resident, Sherman Griggs. “We just leave it sitting under the carport and they come by and pick it up.” According to Burriss, Trenton is the only Gibson County city that does not use a private garbage company. While change may be unwelcome by some, Burriss said they have to make a decision soon. A special town hall meeting is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 for residents who have questions and concerns about the possible garbage service change. Burriss encourages any resident who can to attend.
