With a chill in the air and shorter days, citizens in Simpsonville are making plans of how to deal with the onslaught of falling leaves. Last year the City Council voted to contract not only trash pickup but leaf and debris pickup with Ace Environmental. The contract calls for Ace to pick up household trash and recycling material once a week throughout the city. Also, part of the contract set parameters of picking up leaves that had to be bagged and brush that had to be bundled. The latter part of the contract has been somewhat of a disappointment with several citizens. Complaints have been filed with the city objecting to having to bag leaves and bundle brush.
In response those complaints the city has reinstituted their brush pickup schedule and are now picking up brush as they did in the past on a regular weekly basis. According to Acting City Administrator Wesley Williams, “larger limbs and brush will be picked up just as it has been in the past with our public works grabber vehicle.”
The leaf issue is another challenge. At the present time Williams said there is not a plan in place to purchase another leaf vacuum truck, however, it is scheduled to be discussed. Ace Environmental has proposed an option. For a cost of $36 per year, Ace will deliver another container, brown in color that citizens can deposit leaves and small branches in instead of bagging and have it picked up once a week by Ace. This will eliminate the cost of buying bags and bagging leaves that some people have complained about. The problem is that this container, being the same size as a garbage container can only hold a small amount leaves. The average household with several trees in the area will have an abundance of leaves weekly to dispose of. For some, this may not be the answer to the leaf question. “While I appreciate Ace trying to help us out, I would never get all my leaves picked up with one can”, said former Council Member Geneva Lawrence. “This has been an ill-conceived mess from the beginning”.
Concerns about your trash service or leaf and yard waste pick-up schedule should be forwarded to Ace Environmental at 864-877-0505 or Public Works at 864-967-9531.
