Still shot from Amwaste promotional video
An Amwaste truck makes the rounds to pick up garbage.
Tuesday marked a major change for the city of Homewood, as the city quit using city workers to collect garbage and switched to an outside contractor — Amwaste.
Homewood City Council members ended their Monday night meeting trying to give comforting words to residents who might be a little anxious about the change.
Councilman John Hardin called the garbage switch “the biggest change since I’ve been on the council” and said “everybody’s affected 100%, unless you live in an apartment. It’ll be a tough road for the next 30 days probably.”
Councilwoman Barry Smith noted that the days residents receive service don’t change. “If you’re a Tuesday-Friday person, you’ll stay a Tuesday-Friday person,” she said. “If you were a Monday-Thursday person, you remain a Monday-Thursday person.”
Councilwoman Jennifer Andress said the change in garbage service is not a decision the city wanted to make.
“I’m sure we’ll have an interesting few days,” Andress said. “I appreciate everyone hanging in there with us. We’ve watched it in real time decline as far as staffing issues, and here we are.”
Council President Alex Wyatt said the change is not the fault of Berkley Squires or his Public Services Department. “It’s just the fact that we didn’t have enough people.
“We weren’t picking up trash all that well,” Wyatt said. “We were missing a lot because we just didn’t have the people to do it, and now we’re addressing that. This is going to be better, in my opinion.”
Joining the Cahaba Solid Waste Disposal Authority, which in turn contracts with Amwaste, is expected to drop the city’s annual cost for garbage disposal from $3.1 million to $1.57 million.
But the move wasn’t made just to save money, Wyatt said. “It’s because we’re going to have a better equipped staff to do this. Getting there is going to be bumpy at times. It’s going to take an adjustment in our behavior which, as we all know, is one of the hardest things to do. But we will get there once we are there, just like the other cities that have done this; we’ll be in a good spot.”
Residents can visit cityofhomewood.com/garbage-trash-recycle to learn more about the garbage and recycling changes and read a statement from Mayor Patrick McClusky.
The Homewood City Council also on Monday:
- Conducted public hearings for a pair of properties — 55 Bagby Drive and 65 Bagby Drive — that had been cited for being a public nuisance due to high grass and/or weeds. City Inspector Scott Cook said he learned the properties are under new ownership and he has been unable to have formal communication concerning either property. The council unanimously voted to declare each property a public nuisance, giving the owner until its next meeting on Aug. 14 to communicate with the city.
- Gave the mayor permission to sign a contract with Sain & Associates for work on a grant project on Central Avenue.
- Accepted the fiscal 2022 audit from BMSS.
- Authorized a change order and amended budget regarding the 18th Street revitalization project. The city will pay $375,738 for traffic light poles, and the city of Birmingham will reimburse that expense.
- Terminated a contract with Iron Mountain and amended the budget for disposal of records.
- Gave permission to a homeowner at 306 Kenilworth Drive to work in the right of way.
- Set a public hearing for 6 p.m. on Sept. 11 to consider vacating a portion of right of way at 25th Court South.
- Set public hearings for 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 to consider sign variances at 300 Oxmoor Road and 1831 28th Ave. S., Suite N101.
- Approved a service agreement with Unite to increase internet speed in Rosewood Hall.
- Approved a liquor license for the Shell station at 2908 Independence Drive, pending approval of the Fire Department and confirmation from the Police Department.
