NATCHEZ — In a little more than a week, city leaders will begin the task of deciding who will become Natchez’s next waste and recycling hauler.

Six companies showed interest in serving the city’s more than 5,500 residences by having representatives attend a meeting last week to ask questions before they submit their proposals, which are due April 9.

Though other companies are still able to submit proposals, these six companies proved their interest by attending the meeting and learning what exactly the city is looking for in its next business partner. Residents could potentially see one or more of these companies providing services in the near future, as the city left the door open for separate waste and recycling contracts if they deem it necessary.

Here is a breakdown of the six companies, listed in alphabetical order.

Arrow Disposal Service Inc.

Based in Abbeville, Ala., ADSI currently serves 15 municipalities in Mississippi and Alabama, including Southaven and Horn Lake.

ADSI performs once-a-week pickup in all of the areas the company services and offers collection of waste, recyclables and appliances and other bulk goods.

Arrow Vice President of Governmental and Public Affairs Jimmie Moore represented the company at last week’s meeting and was one of the more inquisitive attendants at the meeting.

More information on the company can be found at www.arrowdisposal.net.

Metro Service Group

This New Orleans-based company also has offices in Baton Rouge, Hattiesburg, Atlanta and Pensacola, Fla.

In November, Concordia Parish awarded Metro its waste contract after Metro submitted a bid of $13.53 per household, per month, totaling $60,885. This bid came in $0.60 lower than Waste Management’s bid and $0.48 higher than Waste Pro’s — the parish also awarded Metro the ability to collect bulky waste at an additional $350 per ton.

Metro was represented at Tuesday’s Natchez meeting by business developer Paul Hargrave and operations manager George Carter.

Metro did not respond to requests for the number of communities it serves and its website was unclear.

More information on the company is available at https://metroservicegroup.com.

Red River Waste Solutions (RRWS)

Founded in 1953, RRWS serves 24 municipalities, though currently none in Mississippi. RRWS serves 10 municipalities in Tennessee, including the Urban Services District of Nashville.

The company services many of those areas with weekly garbage pickup and either every other week or unlimited recycling pickup, depending on the type of community being served.

Corporate Operations Director David Vance attended last week’s meeting with the city but did not directly address city leaders during the meeting.

A complete description of the company is available at www.rrws.com.

Rehrig Pacific Company

The more than 100-year-old company is not a hauler, but instead focuses specifically on waste and recycling containers. Rehrig works to engineer carts to be both safe and efficient in terms of travel. For example, the company introduced a bear-resistant rollout cart in 2017, designed to withstand damage from even the largest of mammals.

Environmental Sales Representative Brandon Becker sat in on last Thursday’s meeting, though he also did not actively participate in the meeting.

For more about the company, visit www.rehrigpacific.com.

Waste Management

Waste Management, which had previously served as Natchez’s waste hauler for three decades until 2012, boasts a total clientele numbering more than 21 million in terms of waste disposal, recycling and consulting.

The company last lost out on Natchez’s waste contract when the city elected to go with Waste Pro USA, who will also be involved in this bidding process.

Waste Management Operations Manager David Holloway and District Manager Andy Yates both attended Thursday’s meeting and were very vocal, both asking a number of questions and even answering some posed by other companies.

More information is available at www.wm.com.

Waste Pro USA

Waste Pro has served as Natchez’s waste hauler for the past five years, but the city opted not to exercise its final one-year option with the company at the end of last year and instead allow other companies to submit proposals.

City leaders such as Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell and Ward 3 Alderwoman Sarah Smith have said the decision to take a look at other options stemmed from what they perceived to be inconsistent collection at times.

The company has expressed its desire to remain in Natchez and offer reliable services at reasonable rates. Waste Pro had been collecting waste twice a week and recyclables weekly for $11.26, though recycling had to be suspended for these last few months to sustain that rate during the city and Waste Pro’s emergency contract.

Waste Pro Marketing Officer Jolene Johnson and division managers Doug Atkins and Marvin Kelch, like Waste Management’s staff, all attended Thursday’s meeting and participated heavily.

Visit www.wasteprousa.com for more information about Waste Pro.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sunday’s article about various waste companies misstated information about bids made by companies in November 2017 in Concordia Parish. Metro Service Group’s bid of $13.53 per household, per month for residential trash pickup did not include a separate bid for bulky waste collection, which is an additional $350 per ton. We regret the error, and we are happy to set the record straight.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sunday’s article about various waste companies misstated information about bids made by companies in November 2017 in Concordia Parish. Metro Service Group’s bid of $13.53 per household, per month for residential trash pickup did not include a separate bid for bulky waste collection, which is an additional $350 per ton. We regret the error, and we are happy to set the record straight.