Parish residents with 2 carts may see their garbage bill double

A Pelican garbage truck emptying garbage carts in the parish.

Hundreds of St. Charles Parish residents will receive a letter informing them they have 30 days to turn in their second garbage cart or see their garbage bill double.

The announcement comes days after the parish suspended its recycling program because of skyrocketing hauling costs for recyclables.

Contract Monitoring Specialist Chandra Sampey told the Parish Council at the Oct. 21 meeting that garbage service provider, Houma-based Pelican Waste & Debris, audited customers and found more than 600 residents have two garbage carts.

The company is paid per cart, Sampey said.

“The rule is in place because if they didn’t have that stipulation in the contract every resident in the parish would have two, three or four cans,” she said. “Those cans cost over $79 per cart. Every company that has come through here in the last 20 years has struggled with keeping up with cart containers.”

The previous provider, Waste Solutions (formerly Progressive Waste), had not audited residents in more than six years, Sampey said.

Residents pay $16.69 a month for garbage service per household, a cost that will double if they keep the second cart, Sampey said. They have the option to return the cart to avoid the increase. Residents can also buy a garbage bin from a retailer and Pelican will empty it at no extra cost although it will not maintain or service the cart.

Sampey said they are working with Pelican to notify residents with two carts and to help return them.

[pullquote]“This conversation stinks.” — Councilman Dick Gibbs[/pullquote]

Those who don’t respond will see their garbage bill double, Sampey said.

Councilman Dick Gibbs responded, “This conversation stinks.”

Councilwoman Wendy Benedetto said constituents have called to say their second cart was picked up, but Sampey said they stopped Pelican from collecting them until residents could be notified.

To turn in a cart, she said residents could contact her office at (985) 783-5102 Ext. 4490.

Talking trash

  • April 2014: Progressive Waste (now called Waste Solutions) files suit against the parish when it withholds a $29,000 payment over not picking up large debris piles. By 2016, the parish changes its garbage collection provider.
  • December 2016: Pelican Waste and Debris becomes the parish’s new garbage service provider.

 

3 Comments

  1. “Residents can also buy a garbage bin from a retailer and Pelican will empty it at no extra cost although it will not maintain or service the cart.”

    However, they will slam them down on the street as hard as possible so that the wheels will break or the can will split. Don’t believe me? Follow one of those garbage trucks for 2 blocks and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

  2. They have taken two I had in the last year. Simply gone, they were from other companies and properties. What’s the difference if they will pickup bags and other bought cans. Also for once the parish needs to make the bring everyone a new can then. Some people have cans from three providers back. Let’s talk about how much money they save by not giving every resident a can. I like they way they told me they took them and said they were not mine. Well they came from other companies and were not theirs. So they can just steal my property.

  3. I had two cans because way back when they started with these big cans for every house you could purchase and extra can and I did. I think they were 60 dollars for An extra one. But about 4 years ago they just took one of them when they came for trash that day. They left me the broken bad one and took the good one. Within a months time they broke off my lid to the remaining can I had. A few weeks later they took the lift with the trash when they came around. Now I struggle to keep water out of it because it gets really heavy to move.! I’m a small person. They broke the bar off the front on another trip so I used the holes where the bar was and tilt can against the wall to drain out water from it. Because of the weight the corner next to the handle literally ripped so trying to move it with any weight in it became impossible. About a month ago they broke off one of the wheels, so it only had one wheel and it kept sliding out but at least it didn’t want to fall over with a shell on it. A couple weeks ago they took the other wheel so now it wants to topple over towards the side where the wheels were and I can’t move it so it has to sit at he edge off my driveway all the time. Hideous and disgusting!!!!!! These people working on those trucks are so rough and irresponsible with these cans it’s unreal. I look around and almost everyone’s cans are broken are severely damaged. I stand outside and watch them as they roll along dumping the cans and I watch how they treat the cans, it’s truly sad. I guess the parish can afford to keep replacing them so it’s no big deal right? Ummm, well, think again because when you call them to get another can don’t hold your breath. They need to hire a better crew and they need to install cameras on the trucks and watch what’s going on. Maybe our costs wouldn’t be so high if we the Citizens weren’t trying to cover the cost of the cans that they destroy. But I do have cameras on my house and my phone and I am keeping all evidence just in case I ever need it or anyone else needs it.

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