Jackson city leaders have failed to reach a long-term agreement on who should pick up trash for the city’s residents. Litigation has been ongoing between the City Council and Mayor’s office for more than a year, and an emergency contract with Richard’s Disposal Inc. that was keeping trash operations underway has expired. Richard’s is now suing the city for wrongful denial of contract, and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba says the city should wait for the court’s ruling before signing a new long-term contract.
“The city attorney advises the city as a body, and because of that, she advised that it was in our legal interest to not go forward with this today,” says Lumumba. “And instead the court will determine weather or not Richard’s claims are legitimate. And that will be a preceding at some date, we don’t know yet.”
While residents are unable to have trash picked up at their curb, the city has opened several dumping locations where they can bring their trash. But in a letter sent to the city by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, officials claim this is not a sanitary option. Mayor Lumumba says he agrees with MDEQ on that sentiment, and the city is planning to meet with the agency on [tomorrow]Wednesday.
“Where we will talk about our plan. We will talk about the limitations and why we haven’t put a garbage bin in every ward,” says Lumumba. “It is because we don’t have the ability to tote it away. We don’t have the trucks, we don’t have the personnel in order to monitor that. And so what we’re trying to do is put forward our best efforts.”
Lumumba says the city may have to sign a new emergency contract with Richard’s disposal for three months as it is the only company primed to handle Jackson’s waste on short notice.
