The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen have approved a six-year contract with Waste Management of Mississippi to handle garbage and trash collection and disposal for the city.

Waste Management held the city’s previous garbage collection contract, which expired Friday.

The board’s decision was based on the city’s solid waste committee’s recommendation after negotiations with Waste Management representatives.

City Attorney Nancy Thomas said the company’s initial proposal, which was estimated to cost the city $115,931 a month — about $1.39 million a year, was reduced during the negotiations.

“They agreed to reduce their disposal fee to $28.50 per ton, and the downtown (businesses) collection fee was reduced from $39.99 to $23.50 per unit,” she said. “That results in savings, based on the initial proposal to what we actually negotiated, of an estimated $46,000 a year (a total annual fee of about $1.34 million).”

The residential collection fee remains at $10.85 per household for twice weekly garbage collection, she said.

Besides the savings, Thomas said, Waste Management agreed to collect trash and rubbish from city rights of way once a week. The agreement does not include  collecting commercial rubbish, trash or debris or hazardous materials like paint, oil, chemicals or tires, she said.

“It’s not something that we currently have,” she said. “I feel like, and I know this board is happy to have a truck to go through the city once a week and pickup rubbish on the right of way, which includes yard waste, furniture, boxes and mattresses.”

“I thought we would save a whole lot more money than we’re saving,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said, “But I am impressed with the part of the scope of service that they can cleanup right of way; something we didn’t have, and something that has caused us to pull our manpower (from city departments). When the citizens call us, they (the departments) try to get them some assistance.”

The board on June 23 authorized the solid waste committee to negotiate with Waste Management after the company’s bid was determined to be the lowest overall price for garbage and trash and debris out of the three companies submitting bids. A fourth company, Riverbend Environmental submitted a bid for waste disposal only.