Arlington County has taken on a second waste contractor to help account for missed organics collections this spring.
The county hired Rockville, Md.-based Compost Crew to assist Bates Trucking and Trash Removal with collections starting on April 20. The cost is $9,920 per week, Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for Arlington’s Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow.
Problems with missed collections appear to have persisted in the months since Arlington changed its trash contractor last summer, resulting in almost $1 million in withheld payments.
The county withheld more than $855,000 from its invoices to Bates Trucking and Trash Removal between August and January, Katie O’Brien, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Services, told ARLnow.
Arlington Public Schools will open on a two hour delay Wednesday, the school system just announced.
It’s the second consecutive delay, after five snow days following the previous weekend’s winter storm. While today offered some above-freezing temperatures and melting, many sidewalks remain snow- and ice-covered in Arlington, prompting continued caution by school administrators.
After being closed all last week, Arlington Public Schools are set for at least one more snow day.
APS announced around 4 p.m. Sunday that schools will be closed again on Monday. But relief may be in sight for beleaguered parents.
Waste collection has been canceled for a second day in Arlington as the county continues to urge motorists to stay off the road.
Curbside collection and brush pickup will not take place tomorrow (Tuesday), and no make-up runs will happen later in the week. Waste pickup was also canceled today (Monday).
Trash collection will be pushed back a day on Thursday while various Arlington County facilities shut down for Christmas.
No waste will be picked up on Christmas Day, so Thursday routes will be serviced on Friday, and Friday routes will move to Saturday.
A majority of Falls Church households are willing to give the city’s new organics disposal program a try.
Slightly more than 70% of city households eligible for the program were opting to get an organics bin from the government, based on preliminary statistics reported by City Manager Wyatt Shields at the Oct. 27 City Council meeting.
Arlington’s former solid waste contractor is lobbying the County Board to consider bringing them back on board following a bumpy start to a new trash service.
American Disposal Services, which collected trash and recycling in Arlington for 10 years, sent the County Board a letter last week referencing problems with missed collections after Bates Trucking and Trash Removal took over service on Aug. 1.
Issues with Arlington County’s new solid waste contractor have continued throughout this month, with customers still reporting about 100 missed collections every day.
While the new contractor, Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, has extended collection hours and weekend service since beginning work on Aug. 1, the county has initiated “financial penalties” and lent some trash trucks to assist with collection. The Department of Environmental Services (DES) has four trash trucks it uses to assist with street litter cans, special events and other activities.
After nearly two hours of trash talk, Falls Church City Council leaders have settled on two potential options for funding future garbage collection and recycling services.
Council members have set a Sept. 8 date for a public hearing, and a likely final vote, on the long anticipated switch away from paying for trash collection and recycling services via general taxation.
Complaints of incomplete and missed trash collections have hounded Arlington’s new solid waste contractor in its first few days of service.
Bates Trucking and Trash Removal, which replaces longtime county contractor American Disposal Services, began collecting trash, recycling and organics from Arlington single-family homes this month.
The contractor that collects trash at Arlington’s single-family homes is changing in the coming weeks.
However, county officials say there will be no substantive changes to existing collection services.
