Brighter days appear to be on the horizon for residents of unincorporated Jefferson County when it comes to their garbage collection.

The county manager’s office negotiated a new contract with Amwaste to use technology to help drivers determine their routes. Additionally, the new contract includes penalties for extended misses in garbage pickup.

The new contract came after Jefferson County commissioners acknowledged having received several complaints from residents whose garbage had not been picked up.

“Several months ago, we were having trouble with missed garbage and all kinds of things,” County Manager Cal Markert said during a commission meeting Thursday. “The commission asked us to look into any way we could make some improvements.”

The county’s contract with AmWaste was set to expire in April 2025.

“We redid the structure of our bid and contract and advertised all over,” Markert said. “We feel like the requirement to put the computer-aided GPS maps in the truck will really help us improve on the misses. We’re really thankful Amwaste committed to doing that.”

The county manager said Amwaste also decreased its bid by $3 per customer per month, though collection rates could still creep up.

“We could have extended the current contract another year but by rebidding it, we got much better terms,” he said, adding that the new contract includes penalties for extended misses in garbage pickup.

The new contract states that if there’s a missed collection for more than 24 hours, the company will pay a $250 fine. Two misses will cost $500, which Markert said should encourage collections to occur as scheduled.

“We’re very grateful for Amwaste for stepping up,” Markert said. “We’ve got the deal signed by Amwaste and the commission approved it. Come April, we’ll click over to the new one (contract).”

Other resolutions approved Thursday included one approving a study to determine the feasibility of replacing a sewer line that currently lies under a runway at Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport.

Commissioners also moved the first commission committee meeting of next month from Dec. 3 to Dec. 5. The committee meeting will be at 8 a.m. in the commission chamber and will be followed immediately by that week’s commission meeting.