On Friday, December 18, the Macon-Bibb County Solid Waste Department and Advanced Disposal will hold a media demonstration of the new services and changes to existing services beginning in January.  The demonstration will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Amerson River Park near Porter Pavilion.

The Solid Waste Department will show what types of items can and cannot be recycled through the curbside pickup program, displaying the new 65-gallon rolling recycling cans available to every resident, and unveiling the new look of the recycling trucks. Advanced Disposal will be showcasing the new trucks purchased to expand their garbage collection services. The new trucks require a change from people in the way they place their trash cans on the curb, and crews show how the truck works and how people should put their cans out. There will also be an example of the different sizes of yard waste that can be picked up and by which organization.

“This new service delivery is something we have been working on for several months in order to expand and improve our services, all while trying to close our outdated landfill,” says Solid Waste Director Kevin Barkley. “We want to take every opportunity to let the public know about the changes and how it will affect them, from what can and can’t be recycled to which way the handle on their trash cans point.”

“This is significant expansion of our services here in Macon-Bibb County, and we have purchased several new trucks in order to reach every home,” says Advanced Disposal General Manager Adam Cochran. “Over the next few weeks, we are riding the new routes to make sure they are the most effective and training our crews on the new trucks and the new service areas.”

A website is currently being developed where people can click on their address to find out what day of the week they receive service and when recycling and yard waste will be picked up. For some people, their pickup day for trash will change, and Advanced Disposal will be putting stickers on people’s carts indicating their new day, if it’s scheduled to change.

“Communication will be key in making this transition as smooth as possible,” adds Cochran. “We will have extra crews on hand the first few weeks to make sure we collect people’s garbage every week as we become familiar with the new routes and people become accustomed to a new pickup day.”

“With Advanced Disposal handling the garbage and bagged yard waste collection, our Solid Waste crews can focus on beautification efforts like recycling, large debris, illegal dumps, and neighborhood cleanups,” says Barkley. “We’ll be able to work more in areas that need additional time and attention to meet our community’s expectation of cleanliness.”

As of Wednesday, December 16, about 550 of the 1,700 available new recycling cans had been ordered through Macon-Bibb County’s online and mobile SeeClickFix application, or through Customer Service (751-7400). Delivery of those cans began Friday, December 11, and a majority of them should arrive at people’s homes by the end of the day on Friday, December 18. Orders will continue to be taken and deliveries made until all 1,700 are at people’s homes, at which point the Solid Waste Department will review the level of requests in order to make a second order of cans.

For more information about the new services, including how to order a recycling can, click here.