LOWELL — Aldermen asked Deffenbaugh officials review a recycling oversight regarding recycling for senior citizen in the trash service contract approved earlier this year.
“We all thought we were going to get the same service for those over 65 we had under the previous contract,” said Tom Evers, alderman.
Senior citizens have the option of being on a yellow bag program, rather than the standard contract which gives residents a 96 gallon trash cart and 64 gallon recycling cart. Yellow bags cost $1.50 a bag, where the regular contract is $10.20 per month. There is no recycling offered on the yellow bag program, Deffenbaugh officials said Tuesday.
At A Glance
Council Action
Lowell's City Council met Tuesday and approved:
• Amending the zoning ordinance to permit manufactured housing the R-A zone. R-A zoning is for property of 1 acre or more.
• Accepting Barrett Place into the city street system.
• Moving $372,000 from reserve to buy 17 pieces of property for the Razorback Greenway Trail system through Lowell. The money will be refunded to the city through a grant when each property is purchased.
Source: Staff Report
“You said you wanted to keep the yellow bag program for those over 65, which we agreed to in the contract,” said Jason Fitzgerald, Northwest Arkansas operation manager of Deffenbaugh Industries.
Recycling for the yellow bag program wasn't in the contract, he added.
Deffenbaugh was the low bidder to provide Lowell with a trash service. Deffenbaugh officials based their bid on moving to an automated trash collection service, where the truck driver uses an arm on the vehicle to pick up, dump the trash, and replace the cart in the customer’s yard.
Guy Shoemaker, an 82-year-old retired U.S. Army veteran, told aldermen the recycling program must be reinstated for older residents on the yellow bag program.
“I’ve recycled all my life. It’s important we get the recycling problem back,” Shoemaker said.
Ronnie Breland, alderman, wanted to know if the contract could be rewritten to include recycling for older residents.
Eldon Long, Lowell mayor, advised Breland that rewriting the contract wasn't the answer.
“There must be some way we can work this thing out that is good for everybody,” countered Dean Bitner, alderman.
“We don’t want city officials to think we are not trying to work with you. We will try to work something out and report back to the council,” Fitzgerald said.