MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The City of Memphis has officially cut ties with Waste Pro, a private company hired to serve parts of East Memphis, Cordova and Hickory Hill.
Starting Monday, a temporary company will start trash pickup.
RELATED: City leaders discuss Waste Pro contract and trash pickup issues
Eric Heinz, who lives in East Memphis said trash would pile up in the neighborhood, along with recycling and yard waste. Like others in parts of East Memphis, Cordova and Hickory Hill served by Waste Pro, he never knew when it would be picked up.
Heinz said, “Trash wasn’t picked up for weeks at a time.”
According to the City of Memphis, there were more than 7,000 complaints between March 25 and April 10, a time during which the company was not allowed more than 175 complaints.
RELATED: Waste Pro announces it wishes to end contract with City of Memphis
Heinz told us he wasn’t surprised at the complaints, “I think all my neighbors just want to have good service that’s reliable and it’s not much to ask for that, especially with the size of the contract.”
That contract between the City of Memphis and Waste Pro was worth $33 million over four years and started in 2018 after Inland Waste was fired for the same issues.
Now a temporary company, Team Waste, will fill the gap,
RELATED: Memphis City Council members asking mayor to terminate solid waste contract
RJ Johnson wonders if two private trash companies have failed, will a third be any different, “Is it really the people at the top, or is it the people doing the work? Is it the guys not making their routes or is it a reason they’re not making their routes?”
Whatever the reason, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said the issue must be fixed and the city is committed to solving the problem.
Waste Pro has publicly said it doesn’t feel like the company received support and communication from the City of Memphis, saying some in the city government would like to see the trash they picked up be done by city workers.
The City has said it has dealt with Waste Pro in a good-faith manner the whole time.
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