VALDOSTA — The Lowndes County Commission is considering county-wide trash pick-up options after being informed by the current service provider that a rate increase would be needed.

This is the latest in the controversy that led to the County suing another provider, Deep South Sanitation, over providing an alternate service to the contracted provided, Advanced Disposal, who has the contract to provide county-wide service.

Advanced Disposal, who purchased the contract and business from Veola Sanitation, now states the contract is too low and they are losing money on the service.  Advanced proposed to the County to raise the per location rate to $12.88.  This, however, opens up the potential for the entire contract to be restated.

Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter told WCTV that “because Advanced Disposal has asked for a rate increase, the Commission in turn has asked that we grant the increase then we certainly want concessions. One of those concessions are that there be an additional hauler allowed in Lowndes County, which will then give the citizens of Lowndes County a choice”.

Valdosta Today will have more from Deep South Sanitation.

Slaughter stated no decisions have yet been made.  However, he did state on an interview on The Morning Drive with Chris Beckham on Tuesday that he had been in contact with Deep South and they were part of the discussion.