NATCHEZ — Dozens of residents gathered Tuesday evening for a public forum as city officials sought input for its next waste collection contract.

Though officials and residents discussed a bevy of topics, nearly all in attendance at the City Council Chambers agreed upon one overarching concept: once-a-week trash pickup.

When FOR Natchez President Chesney Doyle prompted everyone who supported weekly rather than twice-weekly pickup, a large majority of hands shot up. No one at the meeting voiced any opposition to weekly pickup.

Many others also voiced support for reducing recycling pickup from once a week to twice a month.

Resident Jane Gardner said she has heard people, including friends of hers, say they would oppose once a week pickup because they generate too much trash, but Gardner believes those opponents should be willing to make an adjustment.

“You’re not going to please everybody,” Gardner said. “As a community, we have to learn how to compromise for what’s best for everybody.”

City Planner Riccardo Giani, Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell, Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith and Ward 4 Alderwoman Felicia Irving helped lead Tuesday’s forum.

Giani kicked off the meeting with a presentation, which summarized the city’s current status with waste collection and laid out some possibilities for the future.

Before the city suspended curbside pickup at the beginning of the month, pickup rates consisted of $9.56 per month for waste and $1.70 per month for recyclables, bringing the total monthly cost to residents at $11.26.

Giani said the recyclables would then go 120 miles away to Sumrall, imposing a cost on the hauler that is not economically feasible.

After setting up the present situation, Giani moved to the future. In addition to laying out the aforementioned options for frequency of pickup, Giani also noted the city’s RFP could include line item bids for a materials recovery facility (MRF) or a local transfer facility. An MRF would receive and sort recyclables for sale to manufacturers, while a transfer station established by a hauler could, Giani said, reduce transportation costs.

Natchez resident Sebelle Deese offered a unique perspective to the meeting; she made a point to laud the recycling services in Nova Scotia, where she lives at times during the summer.

Deese said the trash and recycling collection there occurrs twice a month.

Aside from the frequency, Deese suggested that Natchez must find a way to utilize recycling in a way that benefits the community, specifically children.

“It’s just not hard — we have to think of a more local use for (recycling),” Deese said. “I think we need some incentives. The incentives are let’s get a nickel or a dime for something we repurpose, and then let’s turn it back over to our children.”

Deese also said the old Armstrong Tire and Rubber Co. building could make for a great recycling center.

Former Concordia Metals Recycling Coordinator Jim Smith, husband of Sarah Smith, commented on a notion that Giani mentioned about potential rebates for residents when prices for commodities are high.

“I think that has to be in (the RFP) … for long-term engagement,” Jim Smith said.

He also supported the idea of a regional recycling facility that could jump-start a co-op with other cities in the Miss-Lou, potentially lowering costs in the long run.

The cavalcade of ideas and comments give officials much to consider before the city publishes an RFP, which City Attorney Bob Latham said would likely happen some time in January or February.

Latham said the entire RFP process should be completed in March at the earliest or in mid-April at the latest.