TIFTON – Tifton City Council voted for a new trash and recycling company and decided not to renew the contract with Golden Environmental. 

The current solid waste disposal contract expires in December and the city had to make a decision quickly to make sure it has a new contractor for solid waste disposal before the current contract expires. 

The current county landfill has seven years until it reaches capacity. With the landfill filling up, City Council began weighing other options and ideas for how to manage solid waste. 

Council reviewed two bids, including one from Golden Environmental. Richard Golden, owner of Golden Environmental, wanted a three-year contract instead of a one-year extension. Ryland Environmental was the other company being considered. 

Golden Environmental has been the company contracted for solid waste disposal since 2014. After a series of community complaints, council considered going with a different company, but ultimately decided in 2019 to extend the contract with Golden Environmental for one year to give the company a chance to fix the problems. 

Problems with Golden Environmental mostly consisted of yard debris not being picked up in a timely fashion and poor customer service, according to city officials. City officials extended the one-year contract for Golden Environmental primarily so they could look into other options with different bidders or possibly starting a city-operated trash service.

Golden asked for a three-year contract with a 50 cent increase in billing per household. 

Golden said during COVID 19 with more people staying home his company saw a 15% increase in trash disposal per household. The additional 50 cents on each bill would account for the increase in trash being thrown away. 

An idea to add a transfer station came about during discussions with Ryland Environmental. 

A transfer station is a facility that would transfer solid waste from one trash vehicle to the next for transportation to a landfill far away. According to Golden, he never heard discussion about a transfer station until the City Council meeting Nov. 2. 

Golden said the landfill has already been paid for and he argued the city needs to use the remaining space instead of paying for a transfer station. 

City Council approved a new contract with Ryland Environmental for five years with a flat rate, less expensive than what Golden Environmental was asking. Discussion about a new transfer site will begin, but for now, that isn’t in the contract.