Country Collections receives contract to haul Sylva's trash

By Lynn Hotaling

Come July 1, Country Collections, the recycling-oriented company owned by Greg Thomas of Cullowhee, will take over from GDS, the Hendersonville-based company that has collected town residents' trash since the company bought JP Sanitation from Sylva hauler Paul Lewis about five years ago.

The contract with Country Collections, already under contract with the town to collect recyclables from Sylva's businesses, is for one year.

The reason for the switch is apparently an economic one. Though bids were not formally requested, both GDS and Country Collections submitted proposals for providing residential trash and recycling collections. Over the course of a year, Country Collections' bid is about $30,000 under that of GDS - $4,987 per month as compared to $7,425.

"The problem is not your service," board member Audrey Tritt told GDS representatives present during last Thursday's (May 3) meeting of the Sylva board. "It's the difference in what we're going to have to pay."

Town board members voted unanimously to award the contract to Country Collections.

GDS officials were clearly unhappy with the decision and left the meeting immediately after the vote was taken.

Prior to the vote, GDS General Manager Scott Welch asked Sylva board members to leave the residential trash and recyclables hauling with his company and suggested Country Collections might not be able to do as good a job.

"There might be a cost savings, but are you going to go with someone with no experience? We (indicating himself and three other GDS employees) have 57 years of experience right here in this room," Welch said. "Anybody can tell you they can do it. But, are they taking (the trash) to the SRC or to Macon County?"

Welch was implying that Thomas would haul the residents' trash to a staffed recycling center, as some private haulers in the county do, rather than to the landfill.

When asked, Thomas indicated his company would haul Sylva's residential trash to the Macon County landfill.

"The landfill is the only place you can haul it if you're under contract," Thomas said.

Under the terms of the contract, Country Collections will provide Sylva residents with exactly the same service they receive now, including blue bag recycling.

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