PRESS RELEASE DETAIL
For release: IMMEDIATELY
Release Date: 02/22/2017
Mayor Broome asking residents for input to help improve garbage and recycling services
Office of Mayor-President
City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge
SHARON WESTON BROOME
Mayor-President
Feb. 22, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Adam Smith, Department of Environmental Services: (225) 389-4865
Michelle McCalope, Communications Office: (225) 389-7957
BATON ROUGE – Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome is asking residents for their input as part of the City-Parish’s ongoing efforts to efficiently provide garbage and recycling services, which will include a public opinion telephone survey which will start today and continue over the next few weeks.
“Garbage and recycling collection are critical functions that impact hundreds of thousands of our residents on a daily basis,” Mayor Broome said. “As we consider ways to make the delivery of these services more efficient and plan for the next several years, we want to gather public input to understand our residents’ satisfaction with these existing services and what they’d like to see moving forward.”
The public opinion survey will be conducted with residents from across the parish. Residents will be selected at random and contacted via telephone, with even representation from all Metro Council districts. Once the survey is completed, Mayor Broome and her staff will utilize the data to develop a strategic plan, working with a team of experts led by Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc., a solid waste management consulting firm that advises municipalities across the U.S. in solid waste programs and service delivery. In addition to the survey, officials are also researching how other municipalities provide similar services in order to identify innovative trends and best practices in service delivery.
The City-Parish’s garbage and recycling service contracts, currently operated by Republic Services and Waste Connections, Inc. respectively, are both set to expire Feb. 28, 2018. In the coming months, the City-Parish will also be conducting a series of public meetings, along with utilizing social media and other web platforms, to gather additional input on potential services to be included in the next contracts scheduled to begin March 1, 2018. Additional information on the dates and times of these meetings will be forthcoming, along with other ways in which Baton Rouge residents can get involved in the planning process.
“I want to encourage our residents who receive a phone call and are asked to participate in the survey to please respond openly and honestly, as their feedback will help guide us on how we move forward with our efforts to continue to provide high-quality, cost-effective services,” Mayor Broome said.
Additionally, residents can contact the City-Parish to provide general feedback on garbage or recycling services issues by emailing solidwasteplanning@brgov.com or calling (225) 389-4865.
Residents with specific requests for service related to garbage or recycling issues, such as a missed service day, should continue contacting 311 by phone, online at http://311.brla.gov, or through the Red Stick 311 mobile app available for free download on the App Store and Google Play Store.
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