Mr. Walker has complaints on Allied – whoopity doo. Do they keep track of complaints on ECUA? My guess is that they probably treat their complaints as just residential waste inefficiently delivered

As a private company, Allied is forced to respond “to pressure brought by unhappy customers”. Unfortunately the same pressure rarely generates a positive result with any governmental body. Take this decision as an example. No matter how much we dislike having to pay essentially the same price for less service the service will not change and the fees will only go up. If enough of Allied customer’s stop using the service, they change or go out of business. If enough of ECUA’s (a governmental body) customers stop using the service, they increase taxes or make the service mandatory.

If Allied Waste had come to it’s customer’s and told them that they were halving the service but dropping the bill less than 10% then Mr. Walker and the rest of ECUA’s board would be pursuing charges. ECUA does the same thing and they send out self-congratualtory letters to all of Allied’s customers. In my opinion this is the type of scheme that government is supposed to be protecting us from, not perpetrating on us.

The fact that anyone sees a positive out of a government organization strong-arming a private company into a bad deal (and sticking it to their customers) is the most unsettling thing of all.

After reading the blogs and concerns we ALL have regarding ECUA, I have a better understanding of how our elected officials must feel. (Not that I agree with everything the officials have ever done for us in Esc. Co.) Can you imagine getting complaints everyday? You (Wake Up People) are correct when you said most people don’t speak praises very loud. Maybe if we did take the time to say, “Good Job” the other percentage of people who were happy would also be heard – making a choice about garbage service easier. (Maybe that is exactly what we, who are happy with the service, are doing now. )

Face it. There must have been complaints – therefore, Larry Walker responded to the complaints. That is part of his job! Selecting ECUA was the option at the time. Give him enough credit to have made a decision instead of just sitting there doing nothing about it. He is trying. (I don’t agree with it at this point.)

We tend to forget that we ALL can make a difference. Most of us want to say how we feel, but fewer really get involved. Be a doer not a talker. Talking never got the real job done. However, I share the concerns we have. If there is a choice for service, then we need to know what our choices are. Let us be a part of the decision. Why can’t we be?

It’s tough trying to please all the people all of the time!

I’d be willing to listen to the options. However, from the information provided so far changing over to ECUA doesn’t sound like such a great deal (other people agree). Why don’t we try to keep it simple? Is it really better or is it a way to calm the ruffled feathers of those who shouted the loudest? This decision conerns a lot of people, including seniors, and it should be addressed to us all in more detail.

Mr. Walker/ECUA don’t just assure me that they are recycled, tell me what company is purchasing/receiving the recyclables and what are they doing with the material.

As to once a week pickup — they tried it in Mobile and the elderly and infirmed had significant problems with can weight.

I can’t wait for summer when the non-recyclable food waste items get to sit in a hot closed container and putrefy for 7 days in 90+ degree heat.

My wfe and I run a licensed home based business we currently have two cans, we don’t always use them both but there are weeks when we will have both cans full for both weekly pickups. Allied allowed us to have two cans twice a week as opposed to a dumpster this is friendlier to us and our neighbors. And yes some of what we dispose of from our business is recyclable (cardboard boxes, paper etc) it will quickly overwhelm a once a week pickup container so instead of 2 cans I guess we will now have 4.

Before we moved to Molino we were in an area served by ECUA Garbage Service and it was no better or worse than Allied.

One last thought, Mr. Walker the tax payers of Escambia have created, bought, sold and repurchased garbage service in this county more times than I can count — there are local families that have made their fortune this way — if we are going to socialize garbage collection in Escambia County please amend the agreement to permanently bar the selling or outsourcing of trash collection in to private companies in Escambia County.

(GETITOUTONTIME) I always put my trash out the night before, and that didn’t mean they were going to pick it up. There were many times they never came, and if we were lucky they would come the next day. This happened a lot and it was not because of a holiday.

(Cathy) You were one of the lucky ones if you didn’t have problems with you trash. I live in the (Kevin White territory) also, so close that the truck that is supposed to come to my house also goes to his.