What can I do with my trash? City offers tips as efforts to bring on contractor fail

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The city of Jackson is offering tips to residents on how to deal with their trash after efforts to bring on a new garbage-hauling contract fail.

On Thursday, the council did not have a quorum and could not vote on a proposal from Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba to continue trash collections after April 1. Jackson’s current agreement with Richard’s Disposal expires on March 31.

The city has provided several tips on its social media pages to help customers if trash pickups are halted.

City leaders also are asking residents to avoid illegal dumping.

“Please make sure that we are not illegally dumping. Make sure we’re not overflowing our apartment complex dumpsters, our businesses. Make sure that we are double bagging,” said Council Vice President Angelique Lee. “Make sure that we keep being prideful of where we love. Do not trash our neighborhoods.”

Lumumba told the council the city would be stepping up efforts to penalize those who “intentionally trash our communities.” The city also would be providing tips on what to do with their garbage until trash-hauling resumes.

“I hate that’s the communication that we have to provide, but we are where we are at this point,” he said.

Tips include:

• Rinsing out food containers and reducing the amount of food put in the garbage
• Tying up food in smaller, separate bags prior to placing it in the trash
• Double bagging your trash to help cut down on odors, rodents
• Spraying bags down with ammonia or bleach to repel insects, rodents
• Keeping a brick or stone on trash bin lids to keep out pests

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