Jackson County Solid Waste bills due

News

Thursday, 10 August 2023 15:41

According to Jackson County Solid Waste Director Caleb Skipper, there are currently 12,359 residential solid waste customers in the county. Of those, 494 customers are suspended, with balances totaling $171,484.
Skipper would like to notify residents in Jackson County that garbage pickup is mandatory, and no sharing of trash receptacles or burning of trash is allowed. There are roughly 5,000 residents in Jackson County that currently do not have service, not including the city limits of Bridgeport, Scottsboro, Stevenson and the town limits of Pisgah. These municipalities provide their own garbage service.

According to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, residents who are caught and convicted of burning trash could face a fine of up to $25,000.

Due to the rising cost of repairs and account collections, Solid Waste increased their rates, effective July 1, 2023. This was the first rate increase for residential customers since 2010. The cost of quarterly pick up is $48, the cost of semi-annual pickup is $91.50, and the cost of yearly pickup is $183. Rates are expected to increase at a rate of two percent each year going forward.

However, those who are over 65 and their only source of household income is social security or disability, they may be eligible for an exemption. Open enrollment for exemption is October through December annually.

The current billing procedure is as follows:
On the first business day of the customer’s billing cycle, charges are applied and bills are mailed. If the total amount is not paid by the 25th day of the month, service charges are applied. Customers will receive a thirty, sixty and ninety-day notice if their bill is not paid in full. After the ninety-day notice, citations will be mailed out. The customer will then have 10 days to contact our office to make a payment or make payment arrangements. If the delinquent account is not resolved within those 10 days, the office will attempt to contact the customer. If no contact is made, the account will be sent to the Jackson County Solid Waste enforcement division.

Once the account is given to the enforcement division, the enforcement officer will confirm no payments have been made and will go to the residence to pick up the trash receptacle. Once all steps are taken by the enforcement officer, and the account is still delinquent, it will be turned over to the Jackson County Circuit Clerk’s office for summons. At that point, the customer will receive a summons to appear before a Judge in Jackson County, and will face the possibility of fines and court costs.

Skipper states that “Garbage pickup is a part of keeping Jackson County clean. This department is currently owed $397,000 due to past-due trash bills. We want to keep Jackson County clean and litter free.”

If you are in current need of trash pickup or if you have failed to sign up, please contact Jackson County Solid Waste at 256-259-2820.

 

by Heather Dohring