KENNER, La. (WGNO) — The City of Kenner has a new garbage collector.
Waste Pro is replacing IV Waste; however, the legal dispute between IV Waste and the city isn’t over.
Waste Pro’s contract with the city starts Friday, March 1, but crews started work Tuesday, Feb. 27 since customers’ IV Waste bins were getting picked up.
Thursday, Feb. 29 marked the last day of service for IV Waste in Kenner. A year ago, IV Waste owner Sidney Torres sued the City of Kenner, and the city filed a countersuit.
“During this billing dispute with IV Waste, you know, I say they’re overbilling for certain services,” said Mayor Michael Glaser. “Then, they sent us a termination letter that they were stopping services.”
That’s not how Torres sees it, whose company was handling garbage pickup, recycling and overseeing a drop-off site.
“He didn’t pay us. He broke the contract by not paying us,” Torres said. “We put him on notice 12 times, and he didn’t pay us, and he wouldn’t even respond to us. We had no choice but to give him 93 days to move on and take our business to New Orleans.”
The city thought about returning garbage services to Ramelli, the company currently under contract for handling Kenner’s recycling, but the mayor says Waste Pro piqued their interest.
“Knowing that we had a contract with Ramelli, I just kind of listened to them, but [Waste Pro] made an offer that I needed to really look at because the potential savings over a 10-year span is great,” Glaser said.
Torres maintains his services were more affordable, but nonetheless, he’s taking them elsewhere once all IV Waste bins are picked up.
“We gave the best service up until the end, which was today, and we will continue to work with the residents who may have cans that didn’t get picked up.”
Torres also says those who purchased bins can be reimbursed with proof of receipt.
According to a spokesman for Waste Pro, they plan on sending out an additional 10 trucks on Saturday to pick up bulk waste.
For more information about garbage and recycling pickup in Kenner, visit the city’s website.
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