New trash collection schedule to start June 13

File / eExtra News

On Monday, June 13, 2022, the City of Paris will reduce the number of solid waste collection days for residential customers from two to one.

On Monday, May 23, 2022, the Paris City Council voted to change collections from two days per week to one based on information presented during the regular meeting. City Manager Grayson Path presented the current state of the solid waste collection efforts for the citizens of Paris and shared the growing challenges the City is facing related to this particular service.

Difficulties associated with recruiting and retaining solid waste workers have made this change necessary. After nearly one year of increased recruiting efforts, implementing employee retention incentives, and shifting employees from other departments to aid the Sanitation Division the reality is a two-day per week pickup is an unsustainable service with the amount of staff available.

Other employees from different Public Works departments have been working diligently to fill in and maintain a twice a week pickup schedule for our citizens. While this strategy has helped maintain the traditional trash collection service, moving staff from one department to cover another department has delayed other important work in the city. Because employees are collecting trash they are not able to mow parks or right of ways, perform road maintenance, clean drainage ditches, install new water and sewer lines, repair existing water and sewer line leaks, or complete other preventative maintenance on water and sewer lines.

A letter to Paris citizens from the City outlining the change will be delivered by mail next week.

Under this new schedule, sanitation crews will collect trash in roughly one-quarter of the city each day, Monday thru Thursday, based on a map viewable at www.paristexas.gov/sanitation. Bulk pickup will be available by appointment. Please contact the City Sanitation Department to schedule this pickup.

While the number of days trash is collected has been reduced for each residence, citizens will not see a change in the total number of trash bags removed from their residence each week. Each household is still allotted 12 trash bags per week. Storage containers and trash bags containing residential solid waste shall be placed at the curbside for collection no earlier than dusk the day before or later than 7:30 a.m. of the day on which collection is scheduled. Storage containers shall be removed from the curbside following collection by 11:00 p.m. the day of collection.

The residential solid waste collection fee for Paris residents has not increased since 2010. A solid waste collection survey was presented to the City Council of similar communities as well as a briefing on the rise in costs experienced in this department since the rates were last adjusted 12 years ago. After considering this information and the city staff’s recommendation, the city council voted not to reduce the monthly fee for sanitation services as part of this change.

Anyone that needs assistance in determining the day for their weekly trash pickup may contact the Sanitation Division by calling 903-784-9266 during regular business hours. For additional information regarding this change, please visit the City’s website at www.paristexas.gov/sanitation to learn more as well as to see the City Manager’s memorandum to the City Council.